Love and Justice
by EternallyLostAuthor
Summary: 10 year old Izuku wanted to be a hero more than anything despite being Quirkless... When confronted by a magical cat with a star shaped gem things start to get complicated. *A Magical Girl Adventure in the MHA Universe*(Quickly becomes Fem!Izuku/Quirk!Izuku)
1. Chapter 1

_**All men are not created equal. That's the hard truth I learned at age four.**_

 ** _I didn't let that stop me though, I pushed on through hardship and social pressure. My goal was to be a hero... One that saved day with a fearless smile. Just like All Might..._ **

* * *

Midoriya Izuku laid in bed staring idly up at the ceiling. Summer break lacked the mystique it used to have, he'd only grown more distant from his school 'friends' as the years have passed. Now on the cusp of going into Junior high it didn't look like that trend was changing anytime soon. As amazing as they were, especially his oldest 'friend' Bakugo Katsuki he just couldn't summon the effort to deal with their words. "Kacchan..." he closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. He was lifted from his funk by the light knocking on his door.

"Izuku honey,"

"Yeah mom?" The door cracked open revealing the gentle smile of his mother.

"A Package came in today." her smile grew slightly. "It's from your Father." her voice trilled with a note of happiness. The boy immediately sat up, his melancholy demeanor was immediately washed away with excitement.

"Really!" He hopped out of bed in one swift motion falling into step behind his mother as they headed to the living room. "Where is he sending from this time?" A large box sat on in the middle of the floor covered in postage.

"I believe the latest site he was investigating was somewhere in China, we'll just have to see for ourselves." she replied brightly. The two immediately dug in, opening the box and seeing what goodies it continued.

Midorya Hisashi, despite his rather offensive ability to breath fire, had a passion for History. An Anthropologist fascinated with world that has existed before the rise of Quirks, only lost in the shift in power... It gave the unfortunate side effect that he was often lost in his studies for months at a time. He did his best to try and keep up with things back at home at the very least...

"I found it!" Izuku held up the small disc, the holo-mail. He excitedly handed it to his mother who immediately set it to play. The Projector sprung to life and an image of a well built man in a white T-shirt. Short curly black hair was corralled by a bandanna, a confident smile on his face.

"Greetings from the Sichuan Province." The camera turned to a shot out the window of his hotel out toward some mountainous terrain covered in greenery, looking closely one could see the remnants of larger buildings. "A short drive from the ruins of Chengdu." he continued before bringing the camera back to his face. "The dig is progressing well, the findings look promising. If the timetable remains stable I should be back by Christmas," his smile became a bit more subdued. "I wish I could be by sooner but with the size of the chosen site there a lot to sort through. I definitely will make it up this time for winter break. That's a promise." he offered the Camera a thumbs up. Inko couldn't quite repress the sigh choosing to focus on some of the souvenirs her husband had sent. Izuku nearly spoke up but the hologram continued.

"After all next year you'll be moving on to 5th grade, won't you Kiddo? You'll be in Junior high before you know it! I trust you've been Keeping up with your studies." he smirked. "Your a smart Kid Izuku, so I'm sure you'll show them all." The sheer confidence was infectious, even through such an impersonal means. The dark haze of Izuku's earlier musing were washed away by the praise. "But that's neither here nor there. As you've probably notice I sent some souvenirs for you both!" It was a lot for the usual snacks and interesting baubles he tended to send. The family had amassed quite the collection of nick-knacks from around the world over the years... Though this box had one addition that was impossible to ignore. It was a small statue of a cat, worn and chipped with age, it right paw placed upon a star. It was surprisingly detailed considering it's condition and age.

"Bundled in with the souvenirs you likely noticed that Statue." The Holo-recording continued in perfect timing. "That little beauty is a genuine artifact from the site." Both Izuku and is mother looked up from the statue in shock. "Geddoe dismissed it as an inconsequential novelty art piece, and said it would be fine to send back... He's too short sighted sometimes." he added with a small chuckle. "I couldn't help but do a little digging into myself in my spare time, having seen nothing else quite like it. I put a copy of my observations in their with it. So keep it safe for me and we can look into together eh?" he offered with a smirk. Izuku may not have the same drive as his father when is came to history but they both shared a insatiable curiosity and analytical eye. Though uncommon these bonding experience were always welcome... all the more reason to look forward to winter.

"Now this last part of the message is for your mother." his voice gained a softer tone expression more gentle. " Inko Darling, I hope your doing well... I do love my work but miss our time together. I..." he sighed. "I promise this time I'll be there. Just a little longer until we can see other again... I'll be sure to make it up to you." he added a cheeky wink. "In more ways then one. Like perhaps a night on the town and maybe a stop i-" Inko blushed quickly shutting off the holo before it could go anything further.

"I-I'll just finish this message up later." she shook her head. "Honestly that man doesn't think before he starts talking." she tried to sound annoyed but happiness was too obvious. Izuku smiled slightly... their family wasn't perfect but he wouldn't have it any other way. He glanced to the worn statue and frowned a little...

Well it would have been nice if his father was there instead of an old statue...

It was a few nights later, Moon high in the night sky. Izuku sat by his window just looking up to the stars, a notebook marked 'Hero Analysis for the Future. Vol 12'. well over half full, the latest additions added from his usual scan for any interesting villain fights that broke out that day. It wasn't the same thing as doing it in person but it's not like one could just summon those from the ether whenever he happened to be out and about. He brushed his hand over the cover lingering longingly on the first word.

"Hero..." It's all he'd ever wanted, a goal the seemed ever more far away the more he seemed to chase it.

' _You Should Probably give up...'_

 _'I'm sorry Izuku... I'm so sorry...'_

 _'Deku means someone who can't do anything'_

He looked away, anywhere but his notebook. His eye caught his father's statue, the worn cat holding it's paw over the star. Beckoning. He stood up and walked across the room picking it up. It was solid, but somehow not heavy. Despite it's condition some of the little details were remarkable, so much effort put into such an innocuous little piece. Just held it in both hands, eventually meeting it's stony gaze.

"Could I be a hero?" he asked softly, "Is it really so terrible to want that?" he wasn't sure who he was asking but once he started he couldn't stop. "I just want to help people... save them with a fearless smile. Can't I have that!" he wasn't sure when he had started shouting. "I would do anything to be a hero... Give anything... I just..." he could feel the tell-tell trail down his cheek as tears welled up. He took a shaky breath and lowered his eyes. "Arguing with a statue..." he forced a pained chuckle as he placed it by the window so her could clear the tears from his eyes. "I really must be losing it."

He looked up to the posters on his wall. All Might. The Symbol of Peace. My hero. He knew what he needed right now, he headed over to his computer. Navigating away from the news page to a favorite, the search bar immediately knowing what he was trying to find... He didn't even notice the slight sound of stone cracking.

" _He's already saved over a hundred people! It's only been 10 minutes!"_

It was something about this Video... All Might's Debut that always stuck with him. In times like this he always came back. Almost as a reminder, but he'd seen it so many times he knew it by heart. The Reactions, the dramatic entrance. Everything.

 _'He's laughing!'_

When her first watched it as a kid he could feel the Charisma... the power of what would become the Symbol of Peace. It made him feel like he could do anything.

 _'It's going to be okay. Why?'_

He needed to feel that feeling again, to wash away his doubt... to refocus himself. To bury this painful feeling for a little longer.

 _'Because I am here!'_

A flash of light was accompanied by the crumbling of rock. Izuku looked away from his computer to the source of the disturbance. The statue was breaking... no, was it even a statue. The cat moved, an outer layer of rock falling away. It fur was black as the night sky with streaks of pink. Under it's paw was the source of the blinding light. The star took on a sleek crystalline sheen radiating with power. The Young boy tried to speak, say anything but no words would form. What was he witnessing?

"Your heartfelt wish," A voice, light and gentle reached his ears. "Pure, Selfless Desire to protect others... It has awakened me." The Cat looked him directly in the eyes. An piercing golden gaze. It was talking to him. "Step forward human, " He(?) moved his paw and the star-like gem began to float slowly toward him. "Grasp the stone and accept it's power." Izuku found himself moving forward hand reaching out... was this a dream? His hand shook as it grew closer, slowly taking the star into his palm, sending a tingling sensation up his arm and through his body. Though powerful enough to move his hair and clothes from sheer pressure... it was the gentle warmth he remembered, much like the voice.

"Close you eyes and speak the words in your heart." The gentle voice commanded. He closed his eyes hot tears escaping in the process, he gripped the crystal tighter, its power seeming surging with his own emotion. Responding in kind. This had to be a dream... but if it wasn't? A small whimper escaped his lips as hope bubbled forth... This was insane.

But if it's true.

"I... I want to be a hero!" he shouted, voice cracking with emotion as the power seemed to only increase. Another phrase implanted itself in his mind. Escaping his lips before he could really understand what he was saying. "Pretty Guardian... Transform!" The world went white, an unimaginable rush of power blinded him to everything around him... in the distance he heard the gentle voice one last time.

"Your wish is granted."

He could feel the power moving through him with purpose. It began with his arms before moving to his legs all converging to his torso before surging up through his head in dizzying display. The light faded as did much of the power but Izuku could still feel it. The gentle warmth settled on his chest, radiating through the rest of his body. Under that all was a strange feeling he couldn't quite place. before he could put much thought to it all The former statue spoke, currently seated proudly on his bed.

"Mm, A successful awakening." It sounded pleased, tail flicking behind it left and right. "How do you feel?"

"Um, it feels nice if a bit strange." he admits, clearing his throat a little. That's weird his voice sounded... off. He looked to his hands to see a pristine white glove. "Gloves?" his gaze ventured lower as the Cat began to speak again.

"Indeed, the Divine Vestments of the Guardians. They may look frail but they are empowered with powerful protection en-"

"Why am I in a skirt?!" Izuku screamed, voice shrill and panicked. He grabbed at the leotard top frantically trying to get it off. Though as her grabbed the fabric he felt something else under it.

"Eh?" Izuku touched his chest once again, hands shaking... It was small, but there was a subtle difference. Unfamiliar fear rose as Izuku checked lower. "Why am I a girl?!" SHE squeaked, body trembling as her brain tried and failed to make sense of what was happening.

"You mean you weren't female?" The cat said with a even mix of reluctance and confusion.

"Of course not!"

"S-Sorry," the cat placed one of it's forepaws behind it's head in a disturbingly human gesture. "You humans looks so similar it's hard to tell."

"Izuku, are you okay in there?" Inko's worried voice trailed through the door. Fortunately she was too polite to barge right in. Izuku turned to the cat trying to keep the bare minimum of calm.

"Turn me back!" she whispered fiercely. The cat flinched at the intensity and started to lose it's own composure.

"Um i-if you touch the gem again and think about changing back it should work." the level of uncertainty in the cat's voice was not comforting but she followed the instruction immediately. Placing her hand on the gem ignoring the other feeling on her chest and desperately thinking about changing back. The radiant power left the along with the outfit, the crystal star remaining behind.

Back to normal.

"Thank goodness... Eh?" Izuku's voice didn't change back... Reluctantly reaching back down.

The outfit was gone but, "I'm still a girl!" The doorknob click as her mother opened the door, the cat was giving a frantic jumbled apology but it was all too much. Panic having topped out at it's maximum level her mind shut down instead toppling over to the floor in a dead faint as His mother opened the door.

 _-Break-_

Two fainting spells later (one for each) with a much needed hour of calm assurances the Midoriyas found themselves opposite the former statue. Side by side their resemblance had grown even more obvious, Izuku's features had grown softer, her former mess of curly green hair edging more into the 'wavy' territory but her clothes did well you hide any of the more obvious changes. Inko gripped her 'daughter's hands returning every tentative squeeze, despite her calm neither were quite over the shock of it all... It made for a tough audience to say the least. The Cat cleared it's throat trying figure out where best to begin.

"All things considered, I suppose I owe you both an explanation..." Izuku tensed but didn't speak up. "I am Aylward, Chosen keeper of The Hope of Davaria. I hail from Kingdom a far beyond the veils of this reality." The statement was was absurd, even from a talking cat. But his tone held no room for doubt, stated as purely a fact. "I was sent to this world by my master to prepare an intercept force to stop an invasion from the Dark ones who all but ruined my home in their conquest..." he looked down places a paw on the star shaped gem on the table. "My master forged this gem from purest magicite, designed to awaken latent magical power of those who open themselves to it. All in the slim chance we could prepare your world to brunt the vanguards of darkness and give you a fighting chance against their forces..."

"That... is certainly a lot to take in Aylward." Inko said carefully but frowned slightly. "But that does not excuse rashly recruiting my son without even informing him of what that power might do." her voice firmed up in defense of her child. The Keeper bowed its head in shame.

"Ah, your words strike true Lady Midoriya. I was blinded the rush of my awakening and the pure desire of your son. But that does not clean away the stain on my honor..."

"Mom, it's okay..." Izuku spoke up for the first time, a slight cringe from hearing her new higher voice once more. "I...I was the one who took the gem when it was offered, I've always wanted to be a hero. This isn't exactly what I had in mind but if it can help protect people I'll do what I can."

"Izuku..." his mothers anger drained away, looking at his son turned daughter in awe.

"Aylward, H-How long do we have? Do you have any idea when the invaders are coming?" her voice trembled a bit but her expression was resolute. Both cat and mother could see the young girl's heroic spirit shining through.

"Yes in the vaguest sense." Alyward began solemnly. "I have to be put into stasis to cross the dimensional veil but my master was skilled in many disciplines." a clear hint of pride entered his voice. "Tapping into his visions he told me after the passing of the second millennia, on the shortest night when the moon sat full among the stars... The Dark ones would come. He said I would awaken to the wish of the one who would save this world... There could already be scouts hidden within your society, looking for-" he looked back up but his grim gaze was met by complete confusion. "...What?"

"Um, I'm not sure quite how to put this Aylward," Inko bit her lip."The second millennia passed over 200 years ago..."

"W-What? You must be mistaken." he looked between both green haired females. "Something must be off in the interpretations! How could your world not be enslaved to Dark Ones?"

"Well... if this invasion was that long ago it would have happened sometime during the second or third generation Quirks." Izuku muttered thoughtfully. "Much of that time was lost to history due to social uprising due to quirks. Civilized society all but collapsed. But if an outside force attacked and galvanized the populace, those early quirk users must have fought the invasion back..."

"But that would mean... after all of my master's sacrifice to get me to this world... I failed." The Keeper shook, a few droplets falling to the table top as his body shook. "I sat as a useless ornament while you defended your own world. My only action being ruining a young boy's life with my own arrogance..." Izuku and her mother exchanged a glance before the elder Midorya moved forward and placed a hand on the cat's back causing him to flinch. She shushed him softly and stroked his back.

"It's okay, it's not your fault." The shaking grew more prevalent before the dam fully broke, the chosen Keeper of Hope bawling like a child while Inko comforted him. He didn't resist as he was picked up burying himself in the hold as he let out all his pent up emotions. It took a few moments but slowly Aylward began to calm.

"...Thank you. Lady Midoriya..." he spoke softly, still choked with emotion. "I apologize for that unsightly display..."

"There's no reason to apologize." Inko assures the keeper as only a mother could. He motioned for her to place him down. She complied placing him back on the table. He looked to the Gem... The Hope of Davaria. He took a deep breath.

"My master created me for two purposes. To find and train worthy guardians in this world." Alyward bit his lower lip before continuing. "And to lead those guardians against the invasion that was to befall them." he hung his head down. "I may have failed in the latter goal. But-" He brought his gaze up to Izuku with fierce determination. "I can still fulfill the first." The Keeper of Hope seemed to exert the same overwhelming presence it did when it awakened. Inko's eyes widened, fully understanding now that this being was one of immense power despite it's appearance. "Izuku Midoriya." Izuku slowly stood up from the couch looking at the otherworldly being in awe.

"Y-Yes." She answered softly

"You wish to become a hero." It wasn't a question... it was a statement of fact. Despite that Izuku found herself replying.

"Yes." her new voice cracked awkwardly as tears came to her eyes.

"If you are willing to accept my training, I will do my very best to help you fulfill that desire." Aylward closed his eyes. "On that honor of my master's soul..." Inko nearly spoke up, concern bubbling up as the atmosphere grew tense. But she stopped...The look of joy and hope in her child's face held her tongue and brought tears to her eyes... long ago she gave up on Izuku. A moment that killed her inside for the years that followed and how ever strange this turn of events it had reignited that hope. She closed her eyes feeling her own tears coming as she waited for the response she knew was coming.

"...Yes..." Izuku managed to choke out.

* * *

 _ **I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't met Aylward when I did... But despite the changes it put me through, I won't let this power go to waste!**_

 _ **By the way, This is the story of how I became The Leader of The Greatest Team of Heroines the World has ever Seen.**_


	2. Chapter 2

Reality set in the next day. Inko had nearly put the whole thing aside as a particularly strange dream. Though it was hard to deny it when she came into the living room to see the cat-like being sitting on the couch with a book open, several others on the floor. She steadied her rapidly beating heart and repressed the growing urge to scream. His ear's perks and brought his attention her way, he offered one of those odd smiles a cat shouldn't be able to do.

"Good morning Lady Midoriya." His gentle deep voice, edging away some of her fears. She saw a flash of the same creature vulnerable and crying the night before and the rest of her nerves melted away.

"G-Good morning Aylward-san," it didn't make it any less awkward though. "You seem to have kept yourself busy last night." She noted the book pile as she made her way to the kitchen and start the morning preparations. "Did you have trouble sleeping?"

"Oh, I don't sleep."

"Eh?"

"I am a creation of magic despite my appearance." He admitted with no shame, "I am blessed that I was granted such a high level of autonomy but in the end you can't change who you are." he said with a hearty chuckle, the page of the book he'd been reading twinkled and turned on it's own.

"...Says the cat who turned my son into a daughter." she couldn't help herself, and held a little satisfaction as the cat flinched.

"Er, yes. Poor choice of words I suppose."

Silence overtook the apartment as Inko went about her normal routine, the Keeper keeping perched on the couch reading through his current book, one of the encyclopedia volumes, at an impressive pace. It was only as she was about to start breakfast that another thought occurred to her.

"Um Aylward-san." she caught his ear twitch before he peeked up from his study.

"Yes?"

"Do you... eat?"

"Hmm, To what degree I'm not certain as I never experienced it myself but I do believe so judging from some of my master's other creations." he replied cheerfully. "But you do not have to make anything on my account, I'd hate to trouble you."

"Oh no,it's no trouble at all." Inko assured her Guest as a good host should. "Besides, it's always nice to have everyone eating together," she added with a smile.

"In that case it would be rude of me to decline would it not." she heard him chuckle as his tiny head dipped back out of view. She made sure to adjust the recipe for a small extra portion. The cooking and other prep fell into line as any other morning, she distantly heard Izuku awakening and muttering something about taking a shower. Something Inko belatedly realized wouldn't go as planned

"Ahhh! It wasn't a dream!" a girlish screech came from the bathroom. Inko quickly set the food she was cooking aside and rushed off to the bathroom. She opens the door to find her daughter curled up on the floor naked and shaking. Inko bit her lip and quickly dropped down to envelope her daughter in a tight hug.

"Izuku baby, shhh, it's okay sweety I'm right here..." the soft cooing and gentle rocking seemed to work as she shaking slowed.

"M-Mom..."

"I'm right here. It's going to be okay."

"It r-really happened?" her voice squeaked out, muffled by her mothers chest.

"Yes baby." she whispered, her breathing slowed to a more comfortable pace.

"So even the cat?" now more curious than panicked.

"Out in the living room reading."

"...reading?"

"Yes, he's quite studious." Inko said with a smile, her daughter choking out a laugh. The crisis seemed to have passed. Izuku leaned back and reluctantly looked down at herself, blushing a little bit. "Stand up now..." her child complied. Inko, keeping a steady hand on her shoulders slowly turns her to the mirror. She can feel her tense up but she remains calm. she looks at herself carefully as if trying to decipher something, Inko keeps quite and lets her child come to her own conclusion.

"So... this is me." Izuku says softly. Her mother nods and remains silent. The younger girl chuckled a little. "Is it sad that I can barely tell?" self deprecation was a good step, Inko ruffled her hair lightly.

"You're only 9 sweety..." 'it will become more noticeable in time' she couldn't bring herself to say that. One step at a time. She felt Izuku tense up and take a shaky breath, she likely understood the unspoken statement. She always has been a smart child.

"Right..." she swallowed and closed her eyes. "This.. This is going to take some time."

"It will, but you're not alone."

"...T-Thanks mom." she did her best to not tear up but was failing. She took a few breaths and opened her eyes again. "I-I should really clean myself up." she did her best to put on a brave face.

"Okay dear... would you like me to stay here?"

"P-please." she blushed darkly, her mother only smiled in response.

"Of course dear."

Nearly an hour later Izuku shuffled out into the living room embarrassed but clean, her mother a step behind. Dressed in shorts and a long Tee as she usual would. The only major difference then the night before being her hair. It had not rebounded into the curly mess it usually was, laying almost straight ticking the back of her neck. It was softer as well but she suspect that had more to do with the hair care products then anything. She had been so shaken up she left her mother baby her in the bathroom and she got a bit overzealous with the opportunity. Doing her best to ignore the foreign, yet not unpleasant, feeling. She looked over to the couch where Aylward was waiting, a pensive look on his face.

"Are you well? I heard the screaming..." the clear guilt in his voice did much to calm the girl's nerves.

"Just, had a little trouble taking it all in..." she admitted forcing a smile. "Just some new things I need to get used to."

"Indeed," Aylward sighed somewhere between relieved and ashamed. "Please accept my apologies once more."

"N-No it's okay." despite her earlier freakout the statement was genuine.

"So, I will have to do a bit of salvaging to finish breakfast but it should be done in a few minutes."

"O-Okay." Izuku glanced back over to the couch, the book Aylward had open was closed and floating to join the others on the floor. "Is that your quirk?" she asked in wonder.

"Just a basic bit of magic," he motioning a paw to the now free couch. "Please feel free to sit."

"R-Right." she slowly to a seat glancing over to the Keeper who offered him a small smile. "um, So..."

"Izuku, Please give me your hand." Aylward cut through the awkward tension like it wasn't even there. "Palm up." His calm matter of fact demeanor broke no hesitation from the normally Jumpy girl.

"Um sure." she offered her hand and he examined it before placing his paw there and closing his eyes. She felt a tingling sensation travel up her arm and go through her body. Shivering a bit she did her best not to move. It only lasted a few moments before Aylward opened his eyes with a knowing look.

"Reinforcement, it suits you."

"Reinforcement?"

"Yes, that is the power the Hope woke inside of you." Aylward explained watching the girls eyes widen as she looked to her hand in awe.

"M-My Power..." she felt a smile twitch at her lips, she didn't feel any different then she did before she changed but somewhere inside her she knew, Her power. "How do I use it? What does it do? Do I have to wear that skirt again to get it to work?" she began to speak rapidly stopping only as he raised a paw.

"One at a time, one at a time." He chuckled as the girl bounced slightly while politely remaining quiet. "We will keep to the basics for now. In brief Reinforcement is the magic of strengthening objects and living beings. It's a supportive magic often used by guards and craftsman, looked down on by shortsighted apprentices who only value destructive results." he explains calmly "I will show you how to fully awaken your Reinforce after you have had some food, your control will be very limited but will improve with time." the corner of his mouth quirked slightly. "But if you want to fully master your power you will need to use your guardian transformation, Your power will always be greater while wearing the Divine Vestments." The girl who had all but been bursting with excitement to that point frowned a bit and sighed.

"Dang..." Izuku gathered herself up.

"Do not think of the vestments as an obstacle to overcome, they are a tool to support you and protect you." Aylward shook his head. "If you wish to become a hero without them your going to need to work many times harder to reach that level. If that is your preferred goal I will take that into account when considering my guidance." he states calmly.

"All right Everyone, breakfast is ready." Inko's cheerful announcement ended the discussion for now. They gathered to the kitchen table, a simple breakfast, salvaged as best she could from what she had been cooking earlier. True to form is was still quite good. Aylward's own plate a little further in so he could sit at the edge of the table. "So I overheard that you two would be working on harnessing Izuku's new power." she led, clearly concerned. "The training is nothing too dangerous I hope?"

"Not at all Milady. Today will be primarily mediation and mental exercises." Aylward assured the older woman. "Reinforcement is a supportive magic, even if we were to progress to any practical applications you have little to worry about it."

"Thank goodness..."

"Support." Izuku muttered thoughtfully. "Support quirks tend to have problems sticking with the public and the rankings." he noted mostly to herself. "A hero team often makes effective use of such quirks..." she trailed onward Inko sighing softly as Aylward merely chuckled.

"In that case I'll leave you two to that, I need to run some errands and make some calls." she begins to gather the empty plates. "I would like a professional to check and make sure there are not issues due to the transformation... no offense meant Aylward-san."

"None taken, if it will grant you piece of mind then do what you must." The keeper waved it way with a paw.

"A professional?" Izuku seemed to break away from her musings looking worried.

"Yes, if this is permanent then this has to be properly checked and documented before school starts back up again..." Izuku looked down clearly uncomfortable. "Just focus on your training and relax as best you can. I'll make sure this gets sorted out. Have faith in you mom." she offered a smile despite her own concerns. Her daughter returned the sentiment. Inko puts the dishes in the sink to soak and grabbed her coat. She spared a glance over to Izuku one last time a she took a seat on the floor, the cat sitting proudly in front of her, explaining how they would proceed... She slipped out the door and immediately dialed up a contact.

"Inko?" a connection was a bit sketchy but she couldn't help but feel relief hearing her husband's voice. "What's wrong, I'm about to head out to the sit-"

"Hisashi, It's about the statue." he voice was direct and full of urgency.

"The statue?" he seemed confused. "Oh, did it break in delivery?"

"No it..." she closed her eyes and took a breath. "This is going to sound crazy, but I need you to believe me." she began from the beginning. The burst of light and sounds, Izuku's gender change, Aylward and the aftermath this morning. She tried her best to keep her composure but by the end she couldn't help but get more frazzled, the image of Izuku staring at her reflection with that uncertain expression was burned into her mind.

"That's... Quite a story." He said with a sigh.

"I know I know. It sounds crazy" Inko rubbed her temple with her free hand. "But I swear to yo-"

"It's okay honey, I believe you." he assured her softly. Her heart soared, a huge weight lifted. "You've never been a woman for flights of fancy, especially not to this degree..." he seemed to gather himself. "I'm going to make some calls, keep you phone handy, I'll get back to you with some names and numbers."

"Thank goodness, I wasn't sure who to even begin with..."

"I'll call you soon Love." the phone disconnected and she gathered herself, a nice walk in the park would do her good right now. Soon as she had a plan of action she'd be able to make some headway...

Izuku sat, eyes closed and breathing slowly. Meditation was something that took practice and focus on ones self... not a common skill set for a 9 year old so Aylward was assisting. A droning incantation had placed the girl into a trance. Once he had been sure it was set he began guiding her mind, trying to locate her magic source... it was a little different for each person so you could never be sure quite how long it could take. Aylward glanced out the window, the sun had already past it's apex and was moving back down. He gave a tired smile, it was going to be one of those awakenings...

More time passed, the afternoon sky tinging pink when the girl gasped, Aylward's ears perked up, her looked up from his book to see his guardian glowing. An aura of faint green wavered just off of her body.

"Excellent you found your source." he moved closer and began speaking slow and clear to pierce into Izuku's trance like state. "Imagine your hand moving forward and take the source in your grasp." He watched her carefully. The girl's breathing was increasing, becoming erratic. Concerned he reached out and touched the wavering aura and closed his eyes. He tried to follow the mental path she had taken. She'd made good progress, but for one so young any more would be a danger. With a flick of effort the trance broke and Izuku toppled backward eyes wide, catching her breath.

"W-What, But Aylward I almost-"

"You were very close Guardian," Aylward said respectfully. "But you used up too much stamina finding the source."

"I can keep going!" she insisted but found herself unable to sit up. "W-Why am I so?"

"Drained?" Aylward finished with a small smile. "You may not realize but you've been searching for a much of the day. An impressive feat for one so young."

"Eh?" She dizzily glanced over to the wall clock and her eyes widened. "3:47pm!" she squeaked, "But we started after breakfast..." She sat up fully, she stomach rumbling loudly. She let out an awkward chuckle as she grabbed her stomach. "Guess that settles it..."

"Yes, I suppose it does." he replied in a genial tone. "Lets see if we can get you a nice snack while we take a break."

"S-Sure." Aylward kept a careful eye on the girl as she slowly got to her feet and wobbled her way to the kitchen.

* * *

It was just past 5pm when Inko returned home, after running around all day it was nice to finally take her shoes off. "I'm home," She announced shifting a paper bag in her arms to properly close the door. With all the craziness the last thing she wanted to do right now was cook. A night of burgers and fries could be made up for with a healthier choice tomorrow,

"Mom!" izuku's excited voice carried from the living room. Rapid foot falls proceeded a daughter-shaped missile that latched on to her middle. The frills of her divine vestments moving ever so slightly from an unseen wind. The outfit on a whole seemed to add an extra glow' of excitement to the girl as she looked up to her mother with a wide smile "I did it! I Found my quirk!"

"Already?" Inko blinked, they way Aylward spoke of it earlier it sounded like a much more complicated feat.

"Magic is guided and powered by emotion," The guardian chimed in trotting into view and taking a seat, tail naturally curling around his paws. "Your child has the drive of a seasoned Guardian, if she keeps this up she's going to a force to be reckoned with."

"Well no 'reckoning' any time soon."

"Of course Milady, training will progress at a measured place as we agreed." He relented with a nod and smile.

"Good, now lets have some dinner." She motioned to the takeout bag in hand. "You can tell me all about it then."

"Right," Izuku let go and started off toward the dining, nearly bouncing with energy in every step. Her skirt and ribbons swaying with each bounce. It took a few moments after she disappeared from view before she squeaked. "I'm still in the skirt!" Inko exchanged a bemused look with Aylward before both followed Izuku to the dining room. The vestments had been dispersed leaving her back in her original t-shirt and shorts, cheeks rosy with embarrassment. Aylward chided the young hero in that she was going to need to get used to he outfit which only received a pouty agreement in response... Inko didn't have the heart to tell her how adorable she looked. In time she would adjust, it would be her daughters choice what kind of clothes she wanted to wear after all. If it ended up being something cute down the line...

Topics shifted to the training itself, of spirit journeys and finding ones own power from within.

"So this kind of special Guardian training regularly done with ones so young?"

"Finding ones source isn't a unique to guardian cadets, every citizen goes through it in their childhood to unlock their magic and find out what role they can best fill in society." Aylward explained. "Everyone has magic within them after all."

"Everyone?" Inko looked taken aback at the concept.

"You mean Mom could learn Magic too?!" Izuku asked excitedly nearly bouncing out of her chair.

"If she had the drive to she certainly could, admittedly it is harder to start when your older but its far from impossible."

"I..." Inko took a moment to measure her response, the prospect of learning magic was something out of an old story book. The temptation was there... but ultimately she ended up shaking her head. "We'll consider it later on. The most important thing right now is to much sure everything is right with Izuku." she said firmly. The cat accepted the decision with a simple nod, her child letting out a soft 'aww' of disappointment. "As such I have scheduled an appointment with a specialist."

"A doctor?" Izuku muttered shifting a bit in her seat.

"She is an old friend of your father's," that fact alone seemed to melt the tension from Izuku's shoulders. "She'll make sure there are no negative issues with your change as well help us figure out what we need to do next."

"Okay... When is it?"

"Not until Wednesday, so we'll have some time to take things easy til then." Inko's smile seemed to fully calm her child's growing anxiety. "Now, How about we finish up dinner and you can show me how your Reinforce works," that finally did it. A smile sneaking back onto the young girl's lips.

"Sure!"

The evening went on, Izuku showing off her new Quirk to her mother. Visually it wasn't anything impressive, the affected item seemingly coated in a greenish glitter. It's effect though was as advertised. A reinforced tomato was thrown to the ground and simply bounced with no bruising or visible damage. Even that little action was enough to make Izuku a bit short of breath but her bright smile assuaged any motherly worry. In time, Aylward assured, the drain would lessen and defensive boost would increase. As long as she continued to work hard... something the young girl had clearly been doing all day. It was a couple of hours after dinner that she began to wear down, she insisted she was fine but shortly after she dozed off leaning into her mother's side. Inko let her be, enjoying the calm evening after such a busy day. Her gaze turned over to the cat who was laying on the coffee table with another book, tail swishing like a pendulum.

"Aylward-san." she spoke softly so not to wake her daughter, his eyes flicked her direction before his head followed.

"Yes Lady Midoriya?" he replied in kind.

"Anyone can use magic, That's what you said."

"I did Indeed."

"...Does that mean anyone can be a Guardian as well?" she mused lightly as she played with her daughters hair.

"To a point." He turned an walked to the table edge closest to Inko. "They would have to have a pure and honest desire that could resonate with the Hope of Davaria. Magic comes from emotion and the Hope only reacts to positive desires." he explained noting the thoughtful look that crossed the older woman's mind. "Though I would recommend not attempting to contract with Gem." he noted firmly.

"What?"

"Though I have no doubt you'd make a wonderful guardian, as your daughter no doubt will, the transformation no doubt will cause more problems then you'd like."

"I mean I'm already a woman, it's not like I would become a man... right?"

"No, you are correct. Guardian Candidates are universally female. They are also tend to be quite young." he added meaningfully. Inko looked down to her daughter and back to the otherworldly cat.

"It would make me younger?" she whispered somewhere awe and fear.

"More then likely, how young I don't know? It all would come to how The Hope decided to interpret your desire." he closed his eyes. "Even if I were to try and assist on your behalf there is only so such sway I could provide... The risk is just too great."

"I see..." she smiled softly and closed her eyes. "It was just a thought..." she was not one for flights of fancy after all. But sometimes it was fun to think about. She carefully lifted up Izuku into her arms and started to carry her off to her room. Just before she made it to the hallway she heard Aylward speak up one last time.

"I spoke the truth before for what it's worth." he tilted his head with a smile. "You'd make a wonderful Guardian Lady Midoriya."

"Flatterer." she shot back but returned his smile, leaving the cat chuckling to himself as she went to put Izuku to bed...

* * *

The check up was probably the most intensive on Izuku could remember. Samples for everything, quirk assessment, x-rays. The works... on top of all the physical checks she was later subjected to a long series of questions about her feelings and experiences over the last week. It was exhausting but her mother rewarded her stress with a trip for ice cream and a walk through the park... Izuku hadn't really played outside since the change, focusing so much on unlocking and testing her new quirk. Though if she was honest with herself it was also to avoid an inevitable confrontation.

"Inko?" A familiar voice called out. Izuku paused mid bite when she spotted Katsuki and His mother. The Elder Bakugo was dressed in comfortable casual wear, much different then her usual business suits.

"Mitsuki," Inko smiled, feeling her daughter tense up at the unexpected meeting, she did her best to make it seem like everything was normal. "It's been ages." and it had been, ever since Katsuki's quirk had manifested the close relationship between both families had strained. Inko didn't have a large social circle so it was as much a hit to her as it had been to her daughter...

"It really has," Mitsuki smiled broadly, "Say hello Katuski." the boy merely grunted in response. This defiance was met with a swift smack on the back of the head. They exchanged glares before he huffed and turned his gaze away.

"Hello." he muttered clearly unenthusiastic. The Boy turned his gaze to Izuku, who tried in vain to hide behind her ice cream cone. Before Inko could try and redirect the conversation Mitsuku had fully approached ready to chat.

"So what brings you out today?"

"Well Izuku had a doctor's appointment... S-Izuku has been a bit under the weather lately." Inko would be the first to tell you she was not a good liar, she did her best to keep to half truths without revealing the rather delicate situation. "It took a bit longer then expected. W-What bring you out today? Aren't you normally working during the week?" She turned the conversation away.

"Well, it's been a long time since I took some vacation so I thought I use it to do a little bonding with the Brat." Mitsuki said jovially. Mother and Son had a volatile but somehow stable relationship... it certainly made it clear where the boy got it from. Inko half expected some outburst or rebuttal but he was silent... in fact so was Izuku. The children had ended up a few steps away talking amoungst themselves... Well Katsuki was talking AT Izuku who wasn't saying much in response. "Hisashi still out of the country?" Mitsuki continued obliviously

"Er yes, I-" She tried to disengage but found herself pulled back into Mitsuki's need to chat.

"So what adventure is Hisashi got him self wrapped up in this time?" she asked curiously and Inko stifled a sigh of resignation. Perhaps she wasn't the only one with a small social circle... Off to the side the two childhood friends exchanged their own awkward dialog.

"Haven't seen you around much nerd." Katsuki started out remarkably calm, likely due to both parents being in ear shot. "Been avoiding me or somethin?"

"N-No Kacchan," Izuku managed before clearing her throat, her mind raced having forgotten how different her voice sounded. "I-I've just been sick." she whispered lamely. turning her eyes away.

"Well don't get me sick damn it, you sound all squeaky." he scowled.

"I-It's not contagious..." she muttered, banishing the brief image of a pissed off Kacchan in her own divine vestments. It took all of her power not to snort with laughter, this wasn't the time to be attracting attention. Izuku fell silent and Katsuki passed an annoyed glance to their mothers chatting away.

"Dumb Hag, talks about spending time and she goes off chatting." whether he was annoyed about the outing or the interruption it was impossible to tell.

"...I'm surprised you even noticed." Izuku found herself saying before she really thinking about it. A sting in her chest she hadn't even realized was there.

"What the hell are you muttering about?" Izuku flinched as she felt his glare land back on her. She tried so just stay silent but she could feel it intensify, if they were alone he probably would have grabbed her already. "Oi, answer me Deku."

"...I-I said I'm surprised you n-noticed I wasn't around." she muttered softly, this time she was heard, the dismissive snort said it all.

"Like I could ignore you trailin' behind me all the time." The sting hit a little harder, the sheer bother Katsuki made it sound like. Her existing at all. Her mind trailed back... to moments good and bad. Arguments, excitement, conflict and camaraderie (though as of the present there wasn't much of that last bit these days). She could feel the build up of moisture but she held it back, she couldn't start crying now. Not in front of Kacchan...

"Yeah, Well I probably won't be going anywhere till school starts." she said evasively, keep her voice soft so not to choke up. For a moment she saw a flash of something... concern maybe but she probably imagined it. He merely shrugged.

"Whatever." There fell into silence once more, a few moments later their parents looked to be winding down. "Fuckin finally..." Katsuki muttered heading back toward his mother. He paused after a step and glanced back. "By the way, your hair looks weird straight. Makes you look girly." the casualness blunted some of the built up pain as she couldn't help but chuckle at the irony. He continued on and she was left to her own thoughts. Her mother returned exchange waves with Mitsuki as both Bakugos headed out back toward town, muffled arguments all the way.

"I'm sorry dear, I didn't mean to get pulled away like that."

"It's okay, It's not like I could avoid him forever." Izuku forced a smile. Her mother's concerned expression cause the earlier hurt to bubble up in her chest once more.

"Izuku, is everything okay?"

"I-I don't know why it hurt." she admitted confused, eyes misting up. "It's not like it's any different from when we usually talk... But it did."

"Oh sweety," she squeezed her daughters hand who returned the affection. The girl wiped her eyes on her sleeve and said nothing else. They walked in companionable silence, taking the scenic route...

No matter how her mother tried to bring it up Izuku avoided the topic of Katsuki from there on, she doubled down on training and improving her new quirk. Control was still hard going for now so to facilitate proper instruction Aylward insisted all training session be done in the Divine Vestments. This not only unlocked the power for easier access learning the basics but also got the girl used to his transformation. The rest of her wardrobe(sans underwear to her mothers insistence) were all boy clothes, if she ignored her voice or trips to the bathroom she could make it through the day without really considering her new life change... it wasn't exactly healthy but it worked. The Divine vestments bore no such illusions, but though embarrassing the boost of strength and control helped combat the awkwardness, associating positive feelings with the form she was confronted with. It was only a few hours a day, but even over the first few days it was making it easier to move about, if only just in front of her mother and teacher.

The Reality of it all only hit harder when the test results came in later that week...

AN: I really was happy to see the positive reception this has received thus far. Hopefully everyone enjoys this chapter as well... the Aylward-Izuku-Inko dynamic is kinda fun to write, Though the cast with increase as the story goes on. the 'Magical girl team' aspect won;t start to kick in until we get closer to UA as there are no evil beasts to fight(or are there? O.O). Besides i don't think Bakugo would appreciate being girl-fied for a power boost... hm, well actually he might not care if it furthered his goals, but we probably don't need a Magical Explosion girl. Anyway, I will be bringing in Hisashi at the very least next chapter to add to the whole dynamic. The next chapter might take a bit depending how my muse goes, I'm held up a bit but know where I want to go... So we'll just have to see how long that takes.


	3. Chapter 3

For the second time in so many days Izuku found herself sitting nervously in a doctor's office. To her left was her mother, just as nervous, hands fidgeting much like her daughter. The doctor, Matou Aoi, was an old classmate of her father's. They'd apparently kept touch over the years and was trustworthy enough to be brought in on this series of bizarre events. Her Quirk, Empathy, made her very high demand for therapy field but her passion ultimately was medicine. Admittedly it did help in situations like this, a single smile and slight pressure of her quirk removed a large weight of tension from the room.

"Now shall we begin?"

"Yes, please go ahead." Inko said with a grateful smile.

"Well, let me say that what ever triggered this transformation did an impressive job," she began, sifting through several papers. "Everything was changed down to the DNA with no makes of alteration. It all reads out as 100% natural. If I hadn't been informed of the situation I would have assumed the before and after were files for a set of fraternal twins."

"There's... no trace left?" Izuku asked softly. Matou cut the girl off before she could go any further.

"Now Izuku, don't misunderstand my meaning," she placed the papers down and locked her gaze with the young girl. "You are still YOU... just the you you'd have been if you were born female." she watched carefully until the girl gave a slight nod of understanding, Her mother took the girl's hand and gave it a squeeze. "Now the change aside you are remarkably healthy, no abnormalities or issues to be found. Even the minor health issues you had previously are simply gone."

"But I've been feeling really strange..." Izuku spoke up to Inko's surprise.

"Izuku, you didn't mention feeling strange."

"Well, I didn't want to worry you..."

"How so? What feels strange?"

"I... I'm not sure how to explain it. I just feel... off, physically." Izuku frowned, "It's just weird... I thought it was because of the changes but if everything checks out. What's wrong?" She looked up to the doctor, hopeful for an answer.

"Hmm," The doctor placed Izuku's files down and mulled over the possibilities. "It's hard to say, there no real precedent for this kind of transformation. Odd cases here and there but nothing so complete as what you've experienced...My only guess would be that it's Perception."

"Perception?"

"Yes, physically everything changed over without a hitch but you mind and memories were not altered. Perhaps you notice the differences more prominently because it's different then what you remember feeling... even the small natural things you normally don't notice standing out."

"That... seems reasonable." Inko notes, "So you think after Izuku has had more time to adjust."

"These feelings should diminish yes..." Matou frowned before adding. "Though I'm not sure how long that would take. It might be best to set up some sessions for Izuku to talk out her feelings and work through these changes." She turned her chair to pluck a planner off of the desk.

"Is it wise to involve anyone else?" Inko asked with a worried frown.

"There no need to worry, I was intending on seeing her myself."

"I-It's okay really, I didn't mean to make a big thing out of i-" Izuku started but the doctor merely looked at her to get her to trail away.

"This is for your own piece of mind, It's really no trouble at all." she dissolved the aura of authority with a jovial smile. "Besides I can have your father owe me a favor for once." The three shared a laugh easing the tension of the room. "Moving on from the raw physical reports we have the quirk analysis results." This brought Izuku's full attention, "According to your previous records you were quirkless, correct?"

"Y-Yes..."

"Well this 'Magic' you obtained seems to originate from the same places most emitter quirks do, it's not exactly the same but it's within the range of natural variation. By all measures of modern medicine your power appears to be a quirk." Izuku smiled brightly. It only grew as the doctor hung two x-rays side by side... slight variance in male/female bone structure aside there was one glaring difference. One had 2 pinky joints... the other only one.

"It... It really changed everything..." Inko whispered still trying to take it all in.

"Yes, This creature you stumbled upon may hold the key to an even greater understanding of what quirks are." Matou said, holding back no illusions. "And it's for that very reason we have to be so careful... If this information got into the wrong hands or became wide spread. Your guest could end up in a lot of trouble."

"You're not going to let anything bad happen to Aylward-sensei?"

"Not if we can help it." Dr. Matou returned the x-rays to the file. "Hisashi has been forming a small group to start working on this project from the inside, we won't approach the government until we have a firm understand on what we are dealing with. Assuming Aylward-san with willing to assist us we should be able to keep this under wraps."

"He is the agreeable sort so I don't see why he wouldn't." Inko admitted with a small smile.

"But it does tie into what you want us to do with this." The doctor placed her hand on Izuku's file. "Obviously we can't report what really happened,"

"True... What did you have in mind?"

"Well, we have two real options as I can see it... The first would to have you cut all ties, move to a new city, cover your tracks and start fresh. We could adjust Izuku's papers to fit her current gender. With all of Hiasashi's work overseas and you being a stay at home mother, we could keep this whole magic things out of sight." she shook her head. "Obviously that is the most extreme option but it does pose the least amount of questions..."

"It does seem a bit excessive..." despite what the elder Midoriya said she had a thoughtful expression.

"The second would be a compromise, filing the transformation as an extreme side effect to a belated quirk awakening. It's mostly the truth but we'd have to be very careful to keep a consistent story for the inevitable barrage of questions... It would also likely cause some social strain for you all as the school and neighborhood would be adjust. The aftermaths could get quite messy..."

"Oh my."

"It's not something you should rush into, give it some thought. Either way you decide to pursue this know that you'll have my support." The doctor reached forward placed her on hand on top of Inko's and izuku's.

"Matou-san." Inko blinked away a few tears. "Thank you, I'll discuss this with Hisashi when he gets home."

"So, when is he touching down?"

"The day after next, it's a late flight but we're planning on meeting him at the airport."

"Yeah!" Izuku smiled brightly at the prospect of seeing her father again.

"Well be sure to pass on a hello from me, Though I'm sure I'll see him before too long once this project starts to progress..." She smirks a little before picking up the file. "So I'll let you two go, I'll be sure to call you later to set up a good schedule for my sessions with Izuku."

* * *

'We will be touching down in Tokyo in 15 mins'

Hisashi blinked back to reality, looking around as the other passengers started to gather their things. He'd been staring out the window letting his mind wander. How much can change in 2 weeks? A hell of a lot apparently. The stability of ones job, the gender of your child, and your fundamental understand of magic and it's place in the universe... Needless to say it was a lot to take in. Despite all that there was one clear route to take. He needed to go home and be there for his wife and son. 'Daughter' his mind corrected triggering a sigh... Guilt and worry warred for the dominant position. There was no way he could have predicted what that statue could do, but he had essentially smuggled it out of the country without fully understanding it. How much had it changed him, er HER...

"This is so damn confusing." he muttered rubbing his temples... Was Izuku okay? Was 'she' even still Izuku? That thought was quickly thrown aside, he couldn't even entertain that line of thinking. Izuku may have been born quirkless but hi-her drive to be a hero rarely wavered, if this change gave her that chance then she was no doubt utilizing it to it's fullest.

The cabin rocked gently as the plane touched down on the runway. Hisashi broke himself from his thoughts and gathered up his carry-on. The Passengers filed out to the airport proper, it didn't take long to spot his wife among the crowd. His heart swelled at seeing her for the first time in months, she offered him a soft smile that melted his heart as it had so many years ago. At her hip Izuku stood waving with an excited smile. He crouched down and he watched his child come running jumping into his arms. 'Lighter' his mind immediately pointed out but he ignored it, basking in the exuberant affection. He stood and braced Izuku on one arm pulling the hug back and looking his child in the face... the features were slight different, frame a bit slimmer perhaps... but those details didn't matter. Izuku was female... but she was still Izuku. He offered wide grin as he turned back to Inko.

"It's good to be home."

Unable to really go into any details of magic cats and transformations the taxi ride home was passed with more mundane pleasantries. Hisashi spoke of his travels through China, the sights he'd seen and what they had been studying. Izuku hung on every word, taking anything her father had to say with the utmost focus. Inko felt at ease in a way she hadn't in some time... The Midoriya family was all together once more. Everything would be better now.

The sun had nearly set by the time they arrived back at the apartment building. Izuku practically dragging her father up stairs in her excitement. He allowed this with a wry smile, though internally he began to prepare himself. He was about to meet a being from another world. Inko had assured him the creature was of good intent, and he trusted his wife's intuition. Nonetheless, through some unknown means this being was able to awaken a quirk within his child. It defied all aspects they understood about how quirks worked and manifested. The future ramifications of all this were much more long reaching.

"Aylward-Sensei We're home!" Anxiety warred with excitement as the door unlocked and the family entered, the scent of stewed vegetables and spices wafted out from inside.

"In that case have a seat, I'm nearly done." A young man's voice replied happily. Curious Hisashi passed up the dinner table and headed to the kitchen.

"...Huh?" Sat atop the counter top was a black cat, it's fur streaked with pink. On the stove in front of it was a large pot simmering away, a large wooden spoon stirring on it's own.

"Aylward-san you didn't need to do this." Inko chided with a small smile.

"It is a joyous occasion for you and your kin is it not Lady Midoriya?" The young man's voice came from the cat's body, motioning his forepaw in a human-like shooing motion. "Let me treat you tonight." It turned it's gaze to Hisashi and smiled good-naturedly. "You must be Milady's husband, It seems I have you to thank for excavating me from where I been buried."

"It was nothing," he managed to reply. "You were quite the exquisite artifact." he noted lamely still trying to rationalize everything he was seeing.

"You flatter me," he chuckled. "We have MUCH to discuss but let it be over dinner. I'm still learning but hopefully it will be to your tastes." With a small bow her went back to his stew. The spoon floating out from the pot so he could taste the broth. The Elder Midoriya took the opportunity to excuse himself and head back to the dining room. His wife and child were already waiting, table already set for four. He sat heavily in the chair next to his wife.

"...There's a cat making us dinner."

"Yes, it does take some getting used to." Inko admitted

"I'm starting to get that feeling." Hisashi noted leaning back in his chair. "So did you teach him that?"

"Partly," Inko noted with a small smile. "After reading all the encyclopedia's he got curious about one of my cookbooks. He could follow the instruction precisely but took sometime to understand how the stove worked. Mainly he wasn't very good at adjusting the recipes or understanding tastes so I offered a few pointers."

"And I still may need some yet." The Keeper's voice came from the hallway, the stew pot hovering into view as the cat trotted into the dining room. The Pot landed on the table without a spill and the cat hopped up on to the table after it, sitting across from the rather puzzled man. It offered an oddly human smile and motioned a paw to the pot. "Dinner is served."

Inko took the opportunity to serve out the portions and all talk was put on hold as the family started to eat. Izuku thought it was a little peppery but still seemed to enjoy it, Inko pointed out the vegetables could have been cooked more thoroughly, while Hisashi stood to get some hot sauce to spice it up. Everyone's tastes were different after all. Aylward took the criticism easily, filing it all away for later use... Once everyone was mostly done they spoke more freely about the whole situation. Izuku proudly showed off her quirk, using a pair of chopsticks. Reinforcing one and not the other and showing the difference. Aylward was quick to compliment the child's work ethic and how far she had come in this short time. Hisashi was clearly happy to hear the news, ruffing his daughter's hair getting the her to giggle happily as she basked in the praise. Under great reluctance, and only at her father's request, she donned the Divine Vestments. She didn't appreciate being called cute, even if both adults were in agreement of that fact. She quickly changed back and was 'not pouting' for the remainder of the dinner.

There were some important things to discuss before this night, But that could wait. They just enjoyed being family again. They all took to the living room, sitting together on the couch and watching television. Inko leaned onto her husband's shoulder, with his arm around her while Izuku nuzzled into his other side. They stayed that way long into the evening, until Izuku began to doze off on the couch. Hisashi carried her to her room and tucked her in as Inko watched form the door. Aylward wished the pair goodnight as they both headed to their own bedroom, spending a night together for the first time in nearly half a year...

It was good to be home.

* * *

With the pleasant night behind them they sat down in the morning for a much more serious topic. The entire Midoriya family gathered in the living room to discuss the future of their family. Aylward gave the three their space, choosing to meditate off in the corner with only his word that he'd continue to support Izuku and the family in whatever path they choose to take.

"So," Hisashi begun. "With Izuku's summer break ending at the end of August we need to decide what we're going to do about all the... changes." he stumbled a bit for lack of a better word. The Midoriya patriarch looked to his child offering a small smile. "so Kiddo, you're the one whose most effected by all of this. What do yo want to do?"

"I know its a lot consider dear," Inko said softly. "But we're both here to support you one whatever you want to do."

"I know," Izuku muttered looking down to her lap. "Ive been thinking about it since Matou-sensei mentioned it... I... I don't have a lot of friends." she admitted sadly, her mother squeezed her shoulder while her father frowned slightly but neither interrupted her. "I have no particular attachment to the school or any teachers. Starting new, without anyone knowing that was quirkless or a-" she paused briefly before taking a deep breath and exhaling."... or that I was a boy." she whispered, voice shaky. It was the first time she had said such a thing out loud and meant it. Once school started she wouldn't be able to ignore it anymore. Boys and girls had different school lives after all. It wasn't just having to where a uniform, physical education was separated, changing times, bathrooms. Trying to adjust to all of that alongside a school full of students who would know he had been a boy a few weeks ago. It was too much...

"I figured that would be the case." Hisashi started but izuku held up a hand.

"I-I'm not finished."

"Hm?"

"Despite all of that." she looked up fully, a shaky determination in her eyes. "I want Kacchan to know."

"Izuku sweety... are you sure?" Inko frowned, watching her daughter carefully as she gave a small nod.

"I know we're not close anymore... we haven't been for a while." she admitted sadly. "He might not even notice or care if I moved away." she choked up a bit, but collected herself with a wavering breath. "Even so, I have to let him know."

"I don't think it's a good idea..." Hisashi said firmly. "If we don't make a clean break it could lead to some obstacles later down the road." he watched Izuku tightly clenched her fists in her lap. He shared a concerned glanced with his wife before he sighed. "But if your certain?"

"...I am."

"Then we'll try to get that sorted out before the move..."

"Thank you." she muttered, slowly relaxing as her mother hugged her close. Once she had calmed down she pulled back but kept a loose arm around her, letting her daughter lean against her.

"We're going to need to start looking into properties and see what is in our range..." Inko began softly passing a concerned glance over to her husband. "With only two weeks I'm not sure we could get it all sorted so little time..."

"True." Hisashi muttered leaning back in his chair. "Maybe if we can explain things a bit to the school we could cover the curriculum here." he sat back up with a more thoughtful expression. "Homeschooling... it's used a lot in America and Europe."

"But I thought the idea was not to let them know anything?" Izuku chimed in worriedly.

"We wouldn't tell them everything... Just enough."

"I suppose that could work... but teaching him at home. Wouldn't we need to hire a tutor or-"

"I believe I could help you with that much." Aylward spoke up, hopping up on the coffee table.

"Are you certain?" Inko looked concerned

"Teaching is my primary skill, many guardian candidates come from out of the way villages with no schools. As long as I have the course work I'm sure Izuku would be able to keep pace, she is a wonderful student after all."

"Sensei..." Izuku muttered, embarrassed at the praise.

"Okay then, Just leave talking to the school to me." Hisashi said with a confident grin. "And we'll take our time trying to find a good place for all of us."

"That seems like the best path for now." Inko agreed. Their future was still fairly up in the air but at least they had some kind of plan now. Izuku didn't have any major problems with the plan as a whole, but if he wasn't going to be in school that meant she would need to talk with Bakugo before the end of Vacation. As the Adults and Keeper continued to hammer out the details she took a breath and forced a smile to her face.

"I'm gonna had to my room and check the hero news. Okay?" she noted cheerfully hopping off the couch.

"Okay Honey." Inko replied a bit puzzled at the sudden announcement. "We're going out for Lunch so be sure to clean up before then." she called after her but she had all ready turned the corner.

"Okay Mom!" she shouted back as she shut the door. With a conflicted heart she slowly walked over to her computer and booted it up. Her heart began to race as she opened up her instant messenger, left out a shaky sigh of relief on seeing he wasn't online. She typed and deleted several messages before finally just leaving a simple.

 **MightyFan1** : Hey.  
 **MightyFan1** : Let me know when your on...

She stared at the messages tempted to go back and delete them both but held herself back. Seeing as she had the time she added.

 **MightyFan1** : brb

She stood from the computer and grabbed her bathroom supplies. She headed across the hall with a small amount of reluctance. She tossed her clothes in the dirty laundry and slowly turned to the mirror, she looked at her reflection with a determine grimace. She clenched her fists tightly and refused to turn away.

"This... is me." she said softly, letting out a shaky breath but her gaze holding firm."I am Midoriya Izuku..." she raised her hand and pointed to her reflection defiantly, her body being covered in green sparkles. "I have a quirk and I will be a hero." she stated firmly as if challenging her reflection to tell her otherwise. Hearing no argument she shared a smile with her reflection, the green sparkles fading away. Pleased with herself she turned a way and set to taking a nice shower.

With two Towels, one around her torso and one around her hair, she slipped back into her room. Glancing at her computer monitor she froze.

 **MightyFan1** : brb  
 _~ExplosionKing is online~_  
 **ExplosionKing** : You better get back soon Nerd

She rushed over to her computer despite her state of dress.

 **MightyFan1** : I'm Back, Sorry  
 **ExplosionKing** : So what is it?

That was the million dollar question wasn't it... she looked her her keyboard unsure how to reply. 'Hey I got turned into a girl by a magic cat from another world and now I have a quirk, crazy summer right?'. She shook her head, there was no way he'd take anything of the sort seriously.

 **ExplosionKing** : Out with it Deku

Swallowing she brought her shaky hands to keyboard.

 **MightyFan1** : I have something I need to tell you, but it has to be in person.  
 **MightyFan1** : Are you free anytime soon?  
 _~ ExplosionKing is typing_

Izuku's hands hovered over the keyboard, waiting for a reply.

 **ExplosionKing** : I guess, My Mom is dragging me somewhere stupid tomorrow but I should be free Wednesday.  
 **ExplosionKing** : You better not still be F***ing Sick  
 **MightyFan1** : No, I'm better. I'm like a whole new per-

She immediately deleted what she was going to say and started over.

 **MightyFan1** : I'm Fine now.  
 **MightyFan1** : Meet me in the park, in the hidden area we used to go to past the fallen log...  
 **ExplosionKing** : Really? There?  
 **ExplosionKing** : Fine, but this better be good Deku.

Izuku stared at the keyboard for a moment before sighing and simply logging out. She leaned back in her chair looking up to the ceiling. Was this really a good idea? Probably not... but She had to...if she was really going to stop going to school and move away, his could be the last chance the two of them could see each other. Were they even friends anymore? It didn't matter... this was something she had to do.

"Come Kiddo get dressed, Otherwise we're gonna leave you behind!" her father's voice carried all the way from the living room, muffled somewhat.

"Just a minute!" she called back and set aside her towel to start getting dressed. The meet up with Bakugo hanging in the back of her mind but She'd just have to tackle the meeting in a few days when Wednesday rolled around...for better or worse.

 **AN** : Sorry for the longer wait for a chapter, even though the reviews have been light seeing some many favs and follows roll in over the last couple weeks has been nice. It means I'm doing something right. I'm still trying to bridge my way to the start of canon so expect some time skipping in the near future once things stabilize. This chapter was a little rough to put together but I'm satisfied with this chunk enough to submit it. A Bit of a cliffhanger admittedly... sorry.

So I finally properly introduce Hisashi into the story, though he doesn't do to much he will be here for the long hall. I imagined a much more free spirited and relaxed person to off-set some of Inko neurosis. Hopefully I'll be able to show him off more clearly in time.

Izuku is finally starting to accept the changes instead of ignore them, it's an important step but she still has a lot to go. Things will certainly get complicated once school proper becomes a thing. But thats for next chapter... as is the meeting with Bakugo. I'm still writing it myself right now so We'll just have to see how it goes together.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early morning on Wednesday when Izuku got her things together, barely able to sleep the night before as she tried to work out the best way to explain things to Katsuki. In the end her only conclusion was just explain it all and see what happens. She debated putting on of her few feminine outfits to help her story but immediately shot it down, having barely been able to wear them in front of her mother much less outside. The mere thought of it left her checks crimson and head light. After dressing in a regular T-shirt she quickly hopped onto her computer and typed up a quick message.

 **MightyFan1** : Heading out now, I'll be waiting.

She debated writing more... or deleting it entirely but she left it be. Katsuki had always been an early riser so no doubt he'd see it before too long. Time would tell whether this was a good idea. After a moment to school her features she rushed out into the living room. With only word that she was heading out for a bit she continued on past to the door. Her mother only had the chance to offer a puzzled goodbye, Aylward watching with a curious expression. At the front of the apartment building she took a moment to settle her heart. Should she have told her parents what she was doing? Probably... but she was committed now. As ready as she could be she started off from her apartment toward the park.

It was warm, but not overly so as the sun had yet to reach it's apex. The foot traffic was light, even less so once she made it to the park proper. Ignoring the other morning joggers she turned off the main path to a forested area near the southern edge of the park... She paused at the worn down metal fence marked with 'no Trespassing', ducking through the hole and following along the path. Five years, it had been nearly five years since she'd walked along this path. This used to be the place they would hang out nearly everyday, playing hero and catching bugs. She paused at the log that crossed a small stream, she smiled slightly picturing the many times they'd past by the spot.

"Kacchan..." she remembered the day he fell and she tried to help him out of the stream. How angry he'd gotten for some reason before he pushed her down into the water and stalked off with his friends. It was one of the last times she'd come here. She walked down to the stream and couched down touching the flowing water. It held a strong chill despite the summer days due to all the tree cover. Her reflection had changed over these few weeks. The more obvious differences were still hidden under her t-shirt and shorts. She could always see it, every time she looked... Hopefully Dr. Matou might be able to help with that. Her first session wouldn't be until the Sunday, the stress of the approaching school year now no longer an issue she was able to look forward to dealing with these small issues instead. "Hopefully I'll have something nice to say to Matou-san about today..." she mused as she turned her gaze up toward the trees above.

Loud confident footsteps broke her from her musings, anxiety grew despite her best efforts to push it down. The telltale creak of someone pushing open the tear in the fence gave her all she needed to know that he was actually here. She stood and brushed herself off more out of nerves then actually needing to. By the time she climbed back up to the walking path she saw him in his own t shirt and shorts, hands in his pockets as he glared at her.

"...Hey Kacchan."

"This better be good Deku," he 'greeted' coarsely. "and I thought you said you weren't fucking sick anymore."

"I'm not... I never was." she admitted softly only getting a confused frown in response.

"What is that suppose to mean?"

"It's a... long story. Do you want to talk here... or go all the way up to the clearing?"

"Here's fine, I don't have all day." he shot back irritably, guess he wasn't feeling the same nostalgia she was. That was fine.

"Okay," she took a shaky breath. "I'm going to start, all I ask is that you don't interrupt until I'm done." she caught flicker of something in his eyes but the sour expression barely shifted. He scoffed and turned his head.

"Whatever just talk."

So she did... she explained the package from her father. Aylward's awakening and her first change. The original role of the guardians and unlocking her quirk... she was impressed she got that far before he finally spoke up.

"That is the dumbest shit I've ever heard."

"It's a lot yeah."she offered with a sigh, holding off on the rest of her story as he seemed already at his limit. "You don't believe me... do you?" she frowned as his eyes narrowed

"Off course not!" he growled crossly. "I can't believe you dragged me all the way out here to feed me this bullshit." He turned to leave. "So you got a quirk now, it sounds just as useless as what you would get. Nothing compared to mine." Really? Was that all he got out of that? Disappointment warred with frustration as she clenched her fists tightly.

"I can transform." she said before she really noticed, she hadn't intended to show off the Divine Vestments. But his complete dismissal of everything, before she could even finish telling him what was actually happening... it cut deeply. Her statement seemed to give him pause and he glanced over his shoulder.

"You're really going in on this aren't you?" he muttered clearly bored now. She didn't trust herself to say anything else so she decided just to do it. Clutching her hand to her chest she closed her eyes.

"Pretty Guardian... Transform!" She erupted in green light as she called forth her Divine Vestments feeling the familiar rush of power. She normally ignored the rush, more annoyed to change than anything but right now she grasped onto that strength. Merging it with her own frustration to form a confidence she couldn't remember feeling in that past... When she opened her eyes again she was focused, glaring at at the boy who had once been her closet friend. He looked legitimately shocked as he looked back at her.

"Deku you're wearing a fucking skirt! What are... You're really a girl..." he trailed off. "What the fuck..." he whispered trying collect himself, a little red in the face. There was something satisfying in his puzzlement but right now she had something else to prove.

"Hit Me."

"What?"

"I said hit me." she said firmly, caught up in this rush of emotions. "You think my quirk is so useless." Her eyes narrowed. The challenge seemed to snap him out of his funk. A familiar scowl returned to his face, but instead of fear it invoked anticipation.

"You lost it Deku?" a small staccato of explosions flickered across his palm, "You could barely take a hit before and besides you're... a girl now." he stumbled over the statement a bit as it was still such an unreal concept for the boy to consider. Izuku couldn't help a small smirk.

"Then prove it Kacchan." she covered her body in green sparkles, the guardian transformation reducing the usual drain a full body usage far more then it normally did. "Unless you're afraid of being beaten by a girl?" she teased lightly. She wasn't sure where all this attitude was coming from but it felt amazing.

"Fine, if you want a beating." Katsuki growled clenching his fist and marching forward. He wasn't using his quirk, not yet at least. Sometimes being underestimated was nice. She made no move to dodge or block as he swung in and struck her right in the face. Only reflexively closing her eyes before the hit... The sparkling girl was unmoved, the boys fist stopping abrubtly as if he'd punched a wall. "What the-?"

"Is that all Kacchan?" She reached up and grabbed the boy's arm pulling it slowly away from her face as he struggled to break her grip. For all her dislike of the guardian uniform it had some amazing properties. It was designed as armor for battling the dark forces, so it's base level enchantment boosted her physical properties. The use of her reinforcement was wholly unnecessary as the vestments would easily protect her from a punch from a normal 10 year old, even one as athletic as Bakugo. Her strength as well was boosted putting her for the first time in a position of strength against the boy. Concern and confusion spread across his face as he struggled to break her iron grip on his arm.

"Let go damn it!" he growled opening his other hand and blasting her in the chest, his panic putting a bit more force into it than he likely would have normally when he was trying to be intimidating. She let go. Though the force did knock her back a few steps, aside from a small bit of heat she was once again unscathed. With her reinforcement quirk layered over her vestments it made a shield that even the explosion couldn't pierce. She couldn't help but laugh, she'd never felt this good... this in control when around Katsuki. "What the hell are you?" The blond muttered cautiously rubbing his sore wrist, edging slowly away from the magically enhanced girl.

"A Hero." she said firmly, her eyes burning with conviction. She took a step toward him, "Despite being born quirkless. Being put down by you and the others. Every. Single. Day." she stalked closer as the boy began to back faster, his hands crackling with small explosions as he prepared to defend himself. "I'm finally going to become a hero." she clenched her fists and ran right at him. For all the wonderful buffs it did little to change the fact that Izuku had no actually fighting experience. Katsuki dodged her first two sloppy haymakers, though his counter punch was shrugged off entirely. Even a couple of open palmed explosions only pushed her back, delaying her sloppy onslaught.

"Alright you asked for it nerd." Having no other option Bakugo gathered his hands together in front of him and let out a large explosion that pushed all the branches and bushes away with the force, singeing away all the grass beneath him. "Fuck..." he cursed softly, wincing at the recoil in his arms. his legs were shakey, having nearly buckle underneath him from the force of his own blast. "Hope that wasn't too much..." he frowned trying to see past the smoke of his own explosion when Izuku came diving through it. She tackled him pinning his arms to the ground with enough strength the boy couldn't lift them. Her face and torso were singed, her sparkles gone... the blast had been strong enough to break through her defense but it had been blunted significantly. She loomed over him as he struggled, a manic smile on her lips. "Get off me you crazy bitch! What the hell do you want?!"

"Admit it." she tightened her grip on the boys arms. He hissed softly, arms still sore from pushing his quirk too far. "Admit I'm not useless." she leaned in glaring at him eye to eye. "Admit I can be a hero."

"That's enough!" A male voice commanded, in sudden snap the Divine Vestments dissipated in a shower of sparkles. Izuku fell fully ontop of Katsuki when hit with the wave of weakness.

"What?" she shook her head trying clear the fog in her mind. "K-Kachan?" Why was she ontop of him? When had they even fallen? The scale had shifted back and Katsuki easily pushed her aside scrambling away eyeing her wearily. She reached a hand up toward him. "Wait, I-"

"No, you stay the HELL away from me." The blond growled as he got up to his feet. "Dragging me out in the woods to rub in this new power like you're better then me." he narrowed his eyes. "You'll always be Deku, no matter what kind of cheat power you get. Got it!" he growled before turning and stalking away.

"No, I Just..." she called out weakly but he didn't even look back. "Kacchan..." She grabbed her head in her hands. What had come over her? She had just wanted to tell him what was going on... why she wouldn't be going to school... that she was moving away. "Why?"

"Magic is powered by emotions."

"S-Sensei?" Izuku looked to the keeper shakily. Aylward spoke calmly as he walked out from behind a bush, stopping next to the distraught girl.

"Part of a guardian's training is learning how to harness that emotion alongside their magic." he said softly in an understanding tone. "You're an emotionally driven person Izuku, mixed with your work ethic its no surprise why magic has come so easily to you in our training but that can be a bane as well as a boon."

"...You knew that would happen?"

"I suspected it might." he admitted with a sad smile. "Your aura was in such turmoil this morning I grew concerned."

"I see..." she curled up against a tree, tucking her legs under her chin. The other-wordly cat trotted over and took a seat at her side.

"Part of my training will be helping you with controlling your emotions so you won't lose control in battle in the future..."

"But it won't help take back what I did to Kacchan."

"No it won't."

"Isn't there some kind of magic to make him forget?" she asked hopefully as she hugged her legs tighter

"Not in the kind of magic I am proficient with." Aylward replied with a sigh. His ears flickered toward her as he heard the girl sniffle softly. Leaning against her leg he closed his eyes, "I'm sorry Izuku." the Keeper of Hope sat with his charge as she softly cried, the summer breeze shifting the leaves above them.

It was nearing noon when Izuku returned to her apartment, Aylward carried in her arms so she could hold him close. The cat-like being opened the door with a flick of telekinesis and she walked in without saying a word. Sensing the need for proper emotional support Aylward slipped out of the girl's arms and padded further into the apartment while the girl mechanically removed her shoes and walked to her room.

"Lady Midoriya?"

"Hm?" Hisashi looked up from a book, noting the serious look on the feline. "She had to go out and run a few errands,"

"I see..."

"What's wrong?" he closed his book and set it aside. "Did something happen with Izuku?"

"Indeed," he said with a sigh. "I did what little I could but I believe she needs a parent right now."

"Ah..." he made an uncomfortable expression. Inko was always much better at this kind of thing... But he couldn't sit back and do nothing. "I'll see what I can do then."

"Thank you Milord." he said with a small bow. Hisashi stood and headed down the hallway. Izuku's door was closed, there was some muffled talking. Likely some kind of video or music. He knocked on the door and waited. There was no response.

"Hey Kiddo, mind if I come in?" he called out waiting for any kind of reply. The muffled talking stopped and after a long moment he finally heard a soft.

"...Okay." It was something at least. He opened the door to see his daughter sitting on the edge of her bed, the room dark save the light of er computer monitor. Her eyes were red, she'd clearly been crying. On her computer was a paused video of All Might rescuing people from some calamity. It was probably THAT video, the one Inko had told him about. It was a video Izuku loved to watch... Particularly after a rough day. He closed the door behind him and took a seat next to her. She offered nothing, it was going to be up to him to get to the bottom of things.

"So, do you want to tell me what happened?" he saw is daughter flinch slightly but she continued to look down. After a long moment of silence she finally replied.

"Me and Kacchan got into a fight..." she admitted softly.

"Did you win?" he joked good-naturedly only to see her cringe and look away, her little fists clenched tightly in her lap. Inko was so much better at this kind of thing... he prepared to start again when she spoke up, voice cracking a little.

"I used the Divine Vestments against him." she whispered shamefully. Hisashi wasn't 100% up on the details but from he understood hose were designed for warfare against demons... understandably that could be dangerous to use against a kid.

"I see," he took a breath, and placed an arm around her shoulder feeling her tense up. After a moment she relaxed and leaned against him. "Did you hurt him?" he asked calmly with no judgement. He felt her shake her head but she didn't vocalize the response. "That a girl..."

"I nearly did." she admitted softly. "I was stronger than him... he couldn't stop me." the words tumbled out of her mouth as she leaned closer gripping his shirt. "It felt so good. Sensei said the transformation amplified my emotions." she fell silent for a moment but clear had more to say so he waited patiently for her to find her words. "Does that mean I wanted to hurt him?" she sounded scared, scared of this other side of her she wasn't fully aware of. "I know we're not really friends anymore... especially now." she trailed off clearly pained by admitting the fact allowed.

"Considering your relationship with that boy. There was likely some anger inside you... It's perfectly understandable, wanting to stand up to your bully when you find out you have the advantage." Hisashi brought his hand up and rested it on top of her head. "But ultimately you're one of the good ones Izuku. You're always thinking about others and wanting to help." she could feel her tense up, wanting to dispute him but he ruffled her hair softly. "That being said you are still young, you are going to make mistakes. It's the only way you can learn how to get better." he said with a smile as she seemed to relax again.

"You really think so?"

"I know so." he replied with a chuckle. "You're a smart kid, You keep training with Al and I'm sure he'll help you control those feelings." he assured her before hugging her close. "And you'll have your mom and I here to support you all that way."

"Promise?" she asked in a tiny voice as she hugged him tightly.

"Promise."

"Dad?"

"Yeah Kiddo?"

"...Thanks."

"No problem." he said easily, glad she seemed to have calmed down finally. Despite that he could feel her fidget a bit in his arms, was there more?

"Um Dad..."

"Hm?"

"C-Could you..." she trailed off into an embarrassed mumble he couldn't decipher.

"What was that?"

"Couldyoupatmyheadagain?" she spoke quickly burying her face further into his side. Hisashi blinked for a moment for he chuckled softly and moved his hand to softly ruffle the girl's head once more. She seemed to relax, the tension in her shoulders easing up. He kept still and allowed her to continue to lean against him, her vise like grip loosening as the stress melted away. "...I missed you Dad." she whispered snuggling closer.

"I Know Kiddo..." he replied with a small, sad smile as he continued to run his hands through her hair. "I missed you too." her breathing slowed until she finally passed out. He brushed way the hair from her face and watched her sleep, no longer afraid or full of doubt. She'd been through so much in such a short time... it was only going to get harder from here. He carefully shifted the girl until she was laying on the bed properly and tucked her in leaving a light kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight Izuku." He shut off her computer and left the room carefully closing the door behind him. Giving the door one last glance he headed back to the living room.

He was here this time, no hurried calls during a break in work. No long distance care packages. It was going to be different now. He was going to make sure of it... and that would start with a phone call.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Izuku woke up in her bed, physically exhausted and stomach growling. Fuzzy memories of the forest confrontation sat at the edge of her mind. For a moment she wondered it had all been some horrible dream. But as the fog cleared so did her perspective... It had happened. The realization made her want to curl into her blankets and try to go back to sleep. Her stomach refused to be ignored growling loudly making it impossible to relax. With a sigh she slipped out from the covers and to her feet. She glanced at her desktop but decided just to head out, the smell of a home cooked dinner overpowering her depressed funk. Her mother was making Katsudon, her favorite.

Dinner was a cozy affair. Her mother fussing over her even more then usual, having heard the details from Aylward and her father. Like both of them she was fully supportive of her despite the mistakes she'd made and was equally confident she'd be able to overcome them. Despite her initial mindset by the end of it all she was able to smile again, if only a small one. Having her parents and sensei all lifting her up... she was truly blessed. She returned to her room in higher spirits, still tired from the roller-coaster of emotion and magical drain. She looked to her desktop again, but this time walked over and turned it on once more. Taking a deep breath she opened her messenger... there had been no new messages since her one left this morning. With Great reluctance she began typing.

 **MightyFan1** : Kacchan... are you on?

she waited, minutes dragged on with no reply. He normally was on this time of night, even though the program said he was offline. That meant he could just be on Invisible... or he'd Blocked her. Despite that she continued to type.

 **MightyFan1** : I'm sorry about what I did in the forest, I completely lost control of myself... I still have a long way to go in my training.  
 **MightyFan1** : But that's beside the point...  
 **MightyFan1** : I had wanted to tell you that I won't be returning to school.

She paused briefly, already knowing what she was going to type but not looking forward to doing so.

 **MightyFan1** : Because of all the changes I can't just go to school like nothings changed... I'm a girl now and well that's going to weird everyone out. It weird's me out too sometimes...

She had started to ramble on about the strangeness but deleted back down. That wasn't important to what she was trying to say right now... and more then likely he probably didn't care. If he was going to read this at all. Briefly clenching her fists and relaxed again and went back to delivering her message.

 **MightyFan1** : So we're going to be moving away and starting over... I don't know where yet but I'll let you know as soon as I do.  
 **MightyFan1** : Even though you probably don't want to see me again...

She nearly deleted that line but couldn't bring herself to do so.

 **MightyFan1** : I know we haven't be close for a long time... but I just wanted to say. I've always admired you... despite everything you've said to me.  
 **MightyFan1** : I just... wanted you to know that...  
 **MightyFan1** : G'night Kaccahn...

She leaned back and looked at everything she wrote before slowly logging back off and going back to bed. Emotion swirling in her chest, wondering if this was what it was like to lose a friend...

* * *

As promised her father had somehow managed to talk the school into agreeing to her homeschooling for the second semester. Apparently he got Dr. Matou to assist in a convincing enough half-truth that they acquiesced to the arrangement. The last week of vacation magic lessons were put on hold as Aylward hunkered down with all the study materials, spending all day and night to memorize all the relevant material, absorbing and processing it all, before putting together a full curriculum... The family spent this time going out and having a last bit of fun, before putting the troubles of summer behind them.

Once the 'school year' started it took a couple of weeks or so for the routine to set in. After sharing breakfast as a family they would split up. Aylward would take Izuku aside and begin his lessons. Izuku would shift into the Divine Vestments and remain as such for the rest of the lessons, this had been Inko's idea. Getting her daughter more used to the kind of uniform she'd likely have to wear once she reentered school. It also did an excellent job of forcing her to confront the emotional amplifying it could cause and work to control it. Izuku was less then thrilled but complied...

The First lesson was Magic/Quirk training. It was easily the subject that had her most engaged so starting the day got her motivated. From there it moved on to Math, Japanese, and English. Math was an essential part of many magical disciplines so the lessons were unorthodox compared to the ones she had been used to but still helped her learn what she needed. The otherworldly cat being naturally gifted in language pushed Izuku to learn much more than her previous teachers had ever bothered to. Admittedly in the past she had only made any effort to learn due to All Might's own connection with America. She learned to dread this part of the day but despite it all she did learn... After that was lunch and a short break, she was allowed to dismiss the vestments and eat in peace. Her mother would often use this time to check on her well being.

They returned to lessons with Physical Education. It began with extensive stretches. Aylward put particular notice on Izuku's flexibility, as due to the nature of Reinforcement it would limit the user's agility when used on oneself. Once the girl was sufficiently limbered up they would go out for a jog, the neighbors had given some odd looks the first few times but before long they grew used to seeing the young girl jogging alongside her odd looking cat. The jog usually ended in the secluded grove of the park where she'd met with Katsuki. Aylward always had some manner of 'game', more in line with guardian training rather the general Phys-Ed. She would need to enhance herself with reinforcement to dodge, block or navigate her sensei's challenge for the day. If she failed to do so it would repeat the next day until she surpassed it. Energy burnt out they wold return home and relax with more traditional lessons and the return of the Divine Vestments. Social Studies and Science were just as she remembered them from her normal schooling though having the teacher's undivided attention allowed her to get any extra answers or insight she'd normally be confused by. The afternoon would end with meditation, refocusing her magic and focusing on self-control exercises. After that she was free to spend her time as she liked. Lacking any other social life it was usual spent catching back up with the various heroic happenings of the day. Noting new heroes debuts and analyzing their quirks...

Hisashi came back in the evenings spending the time before dinner to discuss things with Aylward, slowly documenting the world the Keeper originally came from. It was one of several projects her father was working on after the initial presentation he and his team made in regards to the outsider. Dinner was a shared experience, one for the four of them to unwind and enjoy a meal together. They separated once more, Inko and Hisashi spending the evening together while Aylward went back to whatever his latest book was and Izuku back to her room. Only to come back around the next day all over again.

The only different day was Sundays, Aylward would leave in the morning alongside Hisashi for further study on the scientific end of things. Studying magic and the power within of the Hope of Davaria. Izuku would spend these off days with his mother, going out and doing various things around town. In the Afternoon they would head downtown and Izuku would have her weekly session with Dr. Matou. She would speak candidly with the empath about her feelings and her past. Leaving every session with a lighter heart and clearer picture of herself.

It continued along into Fall, lessons adjusting over time. The general education continued as prepared, progressing steadily... Her quirk grew as she worked, making up for the years of powerlessness with a drive that only continued to impress the Keeper. The Physical training began to evolved from games to proper strength and flexibility training Aylward had picked up from studying a book on the training regimes of gymnasts. Regarding their overall fitness and flexibility as ideal for Izuku's further growth as a user of Reinforcement. Lacking most of the proper equipment he used magic to make temporary constructs when a suitable improvisation couldn't be found. Inko also started getting more involved in the day to day, after going through her own spiritual journey she found her magic source and began to work alongside her daughter in the daily lessons. She didn't have the full access to her power due to her age and lack of connection to the Hope but it had improved her simple telekinesis quirk into being a bit more versatile in her daily life. No longer simply pulling small objects toward her to direct them as well.

It was early November when things changed... they'd found a house, a proper house, in the Nabu Ward of Yokohama, A ocean-side property a few hours north. It was a bit of a fixer-upper but as ever Hisashi seemed to know the right people to help fix it up enough to make it through the winter months. It was still a short train ride away from Musutafu so Izuku could still have her weekly sessions with Dr. Matou and Hisashi could meet up with his collaborators to continue their research and study. Once the renovations were done it was just the packing and they could be fully moved in before Christmas. Izuku hadn't spoken with Bakugo since that day back at the end of summer, despite that she still sent the boy a message with the news... She was disappointed but not surprised when she received no reply yet again.

As moving day approached lessons were shortened so the family could begin packing and finalizing all the changed paperwork that would be needed to reintroduce her into society... Those final papers coming with even further changes. Changes that would make a true step forward toward a new future and a fresh start...

* * *

AN: Another chapter down with a fair bit of time passing, friendships ending and training intensifying... This chapter changed a few times until I came with a an idea that worked... I always planned on there being an official fallout between Bakugo and Midoriya, but the idea it was mostly Izuku's fault only came to me recently. Not that Bakugo is blameless by any means, but Midoriya is still very unaware of how her old friend views the world and thus how he'd take an attack the leaves him nearly powerless. This coupled with finally showing the mechanics of the divine vestments aside from as a means to put Izuku in a skirt.

Anyway so happy with the reception of this fic and looking forward to writing more of it... Next time Midoriya goes back to school! Nothing could possibly go wrong!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN** : _IT LIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVES!... that is all. enjoy that chapter_

Returning from winter break was never an easy prospect for a child, being the shortest of the holiday breaks as well as one that offered a chance for gifts and new year's cash. The prospect of having to get back into uniform and waste all day in class again was a drag to most. Jiro Kyoka was one such girl. She sat at her desk, head propped up lazily on one arm. She ignored the din of her classmates chatter... it wasn't that she was anti-social exactly but she did put off an intimidating presence compared to most of the other girls. Her 'punk' accessories and reserved attitude made many people think she was a delinquent despite her grades... she just never bothered to correct them. As everyone talked and exchanged gossip all she wanted to do was go back home and practice more on the guitar her father had gotten her. The thought of bringing it a shadow of a smile to the girl's face...

"Attention everyone. Take your seats." The teacher's voice carried over the collective chatter of the students, the teacher's words reluctantly getting the various friend groups to break up and they slowly returned to their assigned seating. When the room finally calmed down the teacher began speaking again. "Now I know everyone is excited to be back from holiday." he said with a note of sarcasm, smiling a bit at the groan that followed. "But we do have some important news. We have a new student that has moved here for the last semester." this announcement injected some energy into the room, even Kyoka perked up a bit. It was a rare thing for so late in the school year. The students began whispering among themselves on what kind of person the new student could be, the teacher motioned for quiet once more. Once relative order returned, the teacher motioned to the open door. After a long pause a girl shuffled into the room. She had longish green hair that nearly touched her shoulders, she wore the usual winter school uniform but her skirt was on the longer side, much closer to regulation than most girls tended to wear theirs. Her hands with crossed in front of her clutching the handle of her book bag tightly. As she turned to face the class looking out to the sea of expecting faces before reddening and looking down.

"H-Hello. My Name is M-Midoriya Izumi. My quirk is Reinforcement it.. well um Reinforces things. I-I like studying quirks and um. It's nice to meet you all!" She squeaked out awkwardly with a stiff bow.

'What a dork. so lame'  
'She's kinda cute, little plain though...'  
'She shaking like a leaf. Poor girl.'  
'At least it's not a dude.'  
'Heh, looks like she'll be an easy target'  
'I wonder if she'll be useful?'

Kyoka shook her head, her jacks easily picking up all of her classmates mutterings. She didn't like eavesdropping on everyone but it was just something she had to get used to due to her quirk, long as she didn't abuse it most of them seemed to forget. She passed a glance to another girl in the far back. A stylish brunette who was smirking to herself. Kyoka knew that smirk, and it could only mean trouble for the new girl. The girl's face changed to one of total innocence as she raised her.

"There's an open seat next to me Sensei." the girl's voice was chipper and attentive easily cutting through the murmurs of her classmates. The teacher adjusted his glasses and allowed a small smile.

"Ahh yes of course." he turned a friendly smile to the nervous wreck of a transfer student and placed a hand on her shoulder, motioning toward the back. "Please Midoriya-san take a seat next to Tohno-san." he said kindly getting a small nod out of the girl as she shuffled past the rest of the class to take a seat.

"Hi, Names Tohno Runne." The Brunette offered softly with a smile. "If there's anything you need to know and need any help getting around, don't be afraid to ask." the saccharine sweet tone brought a snort and roll of the eyes from Jiro, trying to tune the whole exchange out after the new girl's nervous reply. Tohno Runne was from a rich family, coupled with an amazing quirk that let her walk on air. She kept a well crafted persona in front of the faculty but was often talking low of her classmates. Not that it really mattered, as far as the school could say she could do no wrong...Tohno had been in her class since first grade, Kyoka never got on with the girl. In the end it really wasn't any of her business.

It would just be troublesome to get involved.

* * *

Despite her desire school was generally a dull experience and she often found her attention wandering invariably back to the new girl. She was a strange one. Though she jittered like a leaf and was not able to utter a full sentence much of the time she was quite smart and athletic. She apparently spent much of her time outside of school preparing to become a hero. That dedication was impressive considering they hadn't even reached middle school. Though Kyoka's first love was music she was not above the fantasy of going into heroism as a career, like most kids did. Realistically though she was unsure if she had a quirk that would cut it. Something about the girl's fascination with heroes was infectious, even for just overhearing it in passing...

Tohno herself feigned interest in the girl's ramblings, playing the long game seeing if Midoriya would fit into her little clique. It seemed obvious to Kyoka where this was going to go though, the green haired girl's earnest efforts may have jived well with Tohno's pleasant front but not her true self. It was just a matter of when it would come to a head... Turns out that would be three weeks into the semester.

"-on't help you cheat Runne-san." Kyoka caught a murmur of Midoriya's voice as she was leaving for the day, just before she could set her phone 's music player for the walk home. Curiosity getting the better of her she followed where her jacks led her around to the side of the building.

"Come on Izumi-chan," Tohno said with a dramatic sigh, some light giggles from other girls showed it was more than just the two of them talking. Likely the Konno twins, they always seemed to be at the popular girl's heels. "It just a test, you're right next to me it won't even be hard."

"It's wrong," she replied firmly. "I don't mind helping you study but that's as far as it goes."

"After all the nice things I did." Tohno sighed dramatically. "I was doing you a favor since you were new. No one really liked you so I tried to make them play nice but if that's how it's going to be…I won't be able to protect you anymore I suppose." the tone was casual but there was a clear implication of something.

"Protect? what-"

"You have a good evening Midoriya-san." the brunette continued in an icily formal tone. The other two voices were far less refined...

"Yah, Bye!"

"Nerd."

Kyoka could hear the three sets of footsteps walking off in the other direction amist giggles and soft banter that was less than flattering. She closed her eyes straining to catch what they were saying...

'-od riddance, I don't know if I could sit through another one of those rambling monologues.'

'Always boring hero stuff, she's such a dork.'

'Now girls, there's no time for ideal chatter. There are calls to make...'

'Right~' both twins chimed in before trailing off into giggles.

"Calls huh..." Kyoka muttered softly to herself with a frown. No good was going to come out of that. A little sniffle brought her focus back around the corner, Midoriya was still there. She let out a shaky sigh before talking with herself..

'...I can't believe I really thought it would be that easy.' she muttered, the bitterness palpable. Kyoka wasn't entirely sure why but she found herself walking around the corner. Her body moved on it's own. She kept her face neutral, reflexively slouching her shoulders and pocketing her hands. The girl looked to be on the edge of tears, looking back at her in surprise.

"You Okay?" Kyoka asked, unprepared for anything more than that. She'd barely exchanged a handful of words with the girl since she transferred in. Midoriya wiped her face and forced a weak smile.

"Ah, I'm fine just..." she trailed off. "A bit of a fight." she admitted reluctantly as she turned her gaze down.

"With Tohno right?" she pressed, it was pretty common knowledge the two had been hanging out so only received a small nod in return. "It's for the best, that girl is bad news." she allowed her distaste to slip into her tone and got tired chuckle in response.

"Yeah," the girl lifted her head with a more honest, if sad smile. "I kinda figured that out."

"You gonna be okay?" Kyoka repeated

"Yeah..." she straighten up a little. "I'll just work off the frustration when I get home, maybe a little meditation and I'll be okay."

"Meditation? Really?" The rocker girl raised an eyebrow getting a small blush to rise from the other girl.

"It's surprisingly relaxing once you get used to it." she defended lightly, before trailing off awkwardly. She lightly scuffed the dirt in front of her with on of her sneakers. Kyoka let up and shrugged.

"Eh, to each their own. When I have a crap day I usually just crank up the music and zone out." she admitted before looking up thoughtfully. "That's not all that different huh?"

"I guess not." Midoriya agreed with a little giggle. That was better than a sigh at least, mission accomplished.

"Well, I really should start heading home."

"Same," they both headed back to the main path. "...Thank you, um." she trailed off for a moment before it seemed to click. "Jiro-san right?"

"You got it," she replied with a little smirk.

"Well thank you for checking on me, I do feel a little better."

"No problem," she shrugged. and with a little wave to took their separate ways. Kyoka still wasn't sure why she had gotten herself involved but the girl's smile seemed to make it worth the effort. "There's one good deed for the semester."

* * *

The next few days were strange, seemingly overnight Midoriya had turned into a massive klutz. It started small, Her study materials constantly falling off her desk or somehow missing her chair when she went to sit down. Though it only seemed to be increasing in frequency, going outside of homeroom into other parts of the school. If Kyoka hadn't be unconsciously following the girl the previous weeks she'd likely not even thought anything strange given her meek and flighty persona, the nervous klutziness seemed so appropriate... but she had been paying attention. Despite appearances Midoriya was physically adept, moving with grace and coordination, until now. Instinctively she assumed Tohno must be doing something but her Air Walk quirk, which could explain somethings but wouldn't allow such a constant interference when they were seperated...

'Now girls, there's no time for ideal chatter. There are calls to make...'

Of course, She wasn't working alone. So petty, can't even do her own dirty work... She was very popular amongst the school at large so it could be hard to pin down who'd be in on it. The green-haired girl who had been only started to open up in class was swiftly pulling back and starting to keep to herself, the rest of her classmates seemingly avoiding the girl. It irked Kyoka more than she thought it would, it really wasn't any of her business. But Midoriya didn't do anything to deserve this.

"Can anyone solve this equation?" Kyoka heard distantly and immediately tried to make herself as small as possible. she hadn't been paying any attention up front, if she was called on- "Midoriya-chan, please come up." the hearing student gave a soft sigh of relief, having dodged that bullet. Maybe she should get back to focusing on class.

"Y-Yes sensei."

There was a collage of murmurs and snickers as the girl nervously stood and made her way to the front of the class. Just as she was about to clear of the desks she seemingly tripped over nothing flailing forward and falling on her face, body sparking briefly just before impact. A moment after the fall Kyoka heard the subtle rush of wind before the fallen girl's skirt flared up flashing the whole class with her All Might Panties. The Class erupted in laughter which nearly deafened Kyoka, forcing her to focus on blocking out the excess sounds as she usually had to. She watched with a frown as the red-faced girl slowly covered herself and got to her feet, mortified. It took nearly a minute for the teacher to regain control of the class but Kyoka only focused on Midoriya. The girl's hands were clenched tightly and she looked on the verge of tears. Kyoka clenched her fist. She could not let this stand.

As the class broke for lunch Kyoka headed over to Midoriya's desk, the girl taking her time to gather her things. Her head was down, she looked to be muttering to herself.

"Yo." she kept her tone casual so not to alert Tohno or any of her cronies that something was up. Unfortunately her words didn't seem to pierce the girl's mutterings, what she had thought was depressed murmurs actually seemed to be intense thought as if trying to puzzle something out with words. "Hey Midoriya." she said with a little bit more force but still was ignored, despite her willingness to help she felt her eye tick slightly in annoyance. Her right jack snaked down and touched the girl's hand. The steady vibration of her heart seemed to 'short' out the other girl's concentration causing her to look down at her hand in confusion.

"Huh?"

"Welcome back." she greeted with a note of sarcasm watching the green haired girl flush red with embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, I just got a little lost in thought."

"I noticed," she couldn't help the natural snark that left her lips. She caught herself before too long and got back to her original topic. "You okay? You took a nasty fall there."

"Y-Yeah I'm fine, the only thing I hurt was my pride." she said with a sigh. "I really don't know what's with me today..." Kyoka did a quick check. Tohno and the twins were gone, no muffled movement outside of what she could see. it seemed like it was safe. She pulled the nearest chair over to the girl's desk and leaned in.

I don't know why you're trying to play it off, it's clear to anyone your being targeted." Kyoka said with a frown.

"I know," the other girl replied softly. "I'm used to it from my old school… it was a nice enough surprise to have a few weeks without it." she added with a smile. It held a sad, resigned feeling to it… Kyoka hated it.

"You're just goin' to sit back and take it? Aren't you aiming to be a hero? You should fight back!"

"A hero needs to deal with the negative press as well as the positive," she replied back calmly. "If that's their opinion, then I'll just need to work harder to change that." The patient measured response only seemed to spark anger in her chest. she couldn't really be okay with this, Could she? Her hand came down hard on the girl's desk surprising both of them and drawing a few looks from the few students still in the room. Kyoka looked at her own hand and slowly clenched it letting out a breath, she was getting too heated over this.

"Look Midoriya, this isn't their Opinion." she looked the green haired girl right in the eyes. "Tohno has set this whole situation up. I overheard Tohno and her cronies say 'they had some calls to make' after they left you after school. They probably been spreading rumors or calling in favors to get to you!" she whispered harshly, watching the realization dawn on her classmates face.

"All of this for telling her No?"

"I told you she was bad news."

"I guess so..." Midoriya closed her eyes and took a deep breath before offering a small, but more genuine smile. "Thank you Jiro-san. At least I have something to go on now."

"Yeah..." She's succeeded in what she wanted to do but now was somewhat at a loss. She'd still rarely talked with the girl after all. She stood up and offered her a nod before making her way back to her own desk, stomach reminded her she very much still had her own lunch she should be eating. As she sat back down at her own desk once more she couldn't help but notice the focused expression once more... what was going through her head? what was she planning to do? Should she keep butting her own nose into things? Maybe she had her own things to think on...

It was that line of thought that had her waiting just outside the gates at the end of school, music in her ear giving an underlying beat to the students moving past her in groups. She didn't have to wait long for her target to arrive. The green hair and hunched shoulders were more than enough to identify her wayward classmate. Shutting off her music with the touch of a finger she stepped out and raised a hand.

"Yo."

"Eh, Jiro-san?" the extreme puzzled expression was almost worth the wait on it's own. "Um, is there something else you needed to tell me?" she asked tentatively with a small note of concern.

"Nah, not particularly." she admitted with a shrug, further confusing the girl. "You got anything planned this afternoon?"

"Me?!" she suddenly looked nervous. "Um, just some studying and training be-"

"Nothing important gotcha." she cut her off, having to try her best not to laugh at the shocked expression left on her classmate. "How about you come with me today?"

"W-What? where?"

"It's a surprise." she said with a mysterious grin. "You deserve a little fun after all that crap today."

"You really don't have t-"

"But I am, so if you're free let's go." Midoriya did need to confirm it was okay with her mother first but one call later the girls were on their way into town. Kyoka held a casual stride with her bag over her shoulder, her companion a step behind with her bag clutched tightly in front of her. This would be good for her, she was too tense…

Kyoka led her classmate into the town center, carefully navigating through the growing afternoon crowds. They didn't live in a large city but in the afternoon it tended to get a lot busier. Thus it was important for them to arrive early enough that there'd still be a room open.

"Karaoke?!" Midoriya squeaked, freezing up as soon as she saw the sign.

"Yeah... wait. Don't tell me you've never done Karaoke before."

"...Okay I won't." She muttered looking down. So sheltered...

"Well good thing we're fixing that today." she grabbed the sulking girl's hand and pulled her inside amidst an avalanche of stuttered protests. An older girl in her late teens sat at the front desk looking bored out of her mind, on spotting the two girls she cracked a smile.

"Well if it isn't Kyoka-chan. Not Flying solo today?" she spoke with a bemused drawl.

"Nope, decided to bring a friend today." she replied casual, hearing a sharp intake of breath behind her. "There a small room?"

"Let's see," she scanned a finger over the diagram on her desk. "Why don't you ladies head over to room 8 and we'll have a server come by in a few minutes if you want anything. I'm sure you know the way."

"Sure thing, thank you." Kyoka led Midoriya down the hallway to to the left, letting go once they got into the room. Midoriya remained by the doorway. she had a complicated expression on her face. "Something wrong?"

"You said we were friends..."

"...and?" she had said that… it had just kinda slipped out without her thinking.

"Well, I mean we barely know each other at all…"

"We can change that." Kyoka found herself saying while the other girl stared at her. She could feel her own cheeks heating up at the scrutiny. "You don't have to make this weird. You seem like a cool person and... well no, you're really much more of a nerd. But whatever, the details don't matter..." she picked up the catalog. "Lets just pick some songs and vent out that shitty day." her tone somewhat exasperated and her cheeks definitely still rosy. She watched as the other girl's expression softened from one of wonder to a gentle smile, tears glistening in her eyes. She was actually starting to cry... She seemed to collect herself enough wiping her eyes and smiling even brighter. It made the initial awkwardness all the more worth it.

"Right!"

Midoriya was a musical novice to be sure, not knowing most of the songs and having a lot of trouble getting a grasp of a songs rhythm. Expounded by her natural self consciousness for messing up the song. Despite all that, she had a nice voice. Something that became more and more prevalent as she started to worry about it less… She was also quick to give praise for Koyka's own performances which was somehow more embarrassing then singing with her family but it was a nice gesture, after all she knew better then anyone she had a lower voice than most girls.

The two continued late into the afternoon, taking turns with songs and snacks. By the end of the session Midoriya looked much more relaxed. Overall, mission accomplished.

"Thank you so much Jiro-san, that was a lot of fun." The green haired girl said brightly.

"What did I say about being so Proper?" Kyoka said, somewhat exasperated.

"Right, um sorry. Jiro-chan..." she muttered, somewhat embarrassed.

"S'okay." she gained a small smirk. "It's nice to see you smiling rather then grimacing." she pocketed her hands. "If you ever need another vent session don't be afraid to hit me up. You've got my number right?"

"O-oh yes!" she scrambled to pull out her phone. "I made sure to take it down... um," she trailed off for a bit before speaking again in a softer tone. "I can talk to you about other things right?"

"Well duh, long as your not gonna spam me with memes or something. I don't mind chatting."

"Great! I-I'm mean, that's cool..." she tried to dial back her excitement and sound more casual but failed. "So, Um. See you at school."

"Yeah... you okay walking back?"

"I'll be fine," the green haired girl said with confidence. "I need to make up for missing my afternoon training anyway." and with a wave the girl jogged off into the fading light. Kyoka waited by the entrance of the karaoke parlor and checked her phone. Her mom was going to arrive in a few minutes, that was enough time for a tune... she paused on her contacts noticing Izumi's name nestled among the rest... she recalled the other girls phone. contacts barren save for her parents and a doctor. When pushed, she just said she hadn't been very popular but there was likely more to it...she really was an odd girl. Oh well, it wasn't like she wouldn't have time to find out.

Shelving the idea for now she moved over to her mp3s and set a sound to play, getting lost in the music while she waited for her ride home...

* * *

Over the next couple of weeks the girl grew closer together. Izumi Midoriya was a reliable friend to have in class, always ready to help and prepared for every test (Thanks to her mysterious Tutor). Study sessions became regular and soon the families were getting to know each other as well. By the end of the school year both girls and their families were quite close and it wasn't uncommon for girls to be staying over at the others on any odd weekend.

Over the next couple of weeks the girl grew closer together. Izumi Midoriya was a reliable friend to have in class, always ready to help and prepared for every test. Study sessions became regular and soon the families were getting to know each other as well.

The Midoriya's were an odd bunch... Izumi's father was laid back and jokey, the emotional calm center to the household. He apparently used to work in anthropology and traveled the world before he got some local work at a research facility nearby on some really 'hush hush' project. The mother on the other hand seemed like your average housewife, a similar nervous disposition like her daughter... and similarly seemed much stronger than she appeared despite her own words. The family also owns a very patient, if oddly colored cat which Izumi had tried to hide at first but eventually gave up... Izumi also had a mysterious tutor that she worked with for classwork and herowork but somehow Kyoka never managed to run into him, but the family had nothing but praise whenever they came up.

By the end of the school year both girls and their families were quite close and it wasn't uncommon for girls to be staying over at the others on any odd weekend.

Speaking of school, The pranks and bullying wore down as it grew old for most. Those that continued eventually got in trouble with the school when the green haired girl's mother got involved. Izumi had underplayed her bullying problem at her old school apparently because her mother came at the problem like a force of nature, seemingly determined to keep it from happening again. Tohno would occasionally throw shade but she was never hands on with the bullying from the beginning and eventually moved on.

Overall The last semester of Elementary school was hardly worth noting, a footnote in everyone's lives...

Except for two newly formed friends... Where Kyoka helped nurture Izumi's appreciation for music, she helped Kyoka gain a greater understanding about Heroics. About the good that can be done, and how her quirk could be used to help people. Izumi made heroes exciting again, her endless enthusiasm for the topic and dedication was inspiring. When Izuka said it seemed like it could really happen. Though in return her future as a musician seemed so much more cloudy adding extra guilt whenever her father praised her efforts. She would need to choose between music and Heroism for what she really wanted to do. The looming decision haunting her through graduation into the following break, Middle school just on the horizon... how could she choose?

Or did she have to? It took some digging but there were a surprising amount of artists who moonlighted as heroes or visa versa. It wasn't an easy path to follow and brought criticism to ones commitment but her friend assured her support in following that goal. Something her father echoed a week later...

This was her Starting line…

 **AN:** _So I finally managed to get out chapter five... I'd actually already written the rough draft for the next part but wasn't sure how to bridge the time gap with the characters i wanted... Having this chapter be from an outside perspective came to me on a whim but I kinda like how it came out. its far from perfect of course but I think it works as a nice 'reintroduction of Izuku's new persona'... or should I say Izumi now. This also sets up Jiro Nicely as a new 'proper' friend for our heroine. Jiro's got the right attitude to help counter all of "Izumi's" more negative quirks (particularly that self consciousness and tendency to get lost in their own head. In turn Jiro gets a loyal friend who helps her through her own issues trying to balance Music and heroism... Kinda like a closer version of the relationship Jiro and Momo have in canon. I think it will be a nice dynamic_

 _Yes, I decided we would go for a name change at this point. Izumi is still Izuku and everything they've gone through but they are taking their first steps to get a fresh start with no ties to the past... there's a few hiccups but things do improve from here. There will likely be a large time skip here to catch us up to canon timeline as i dont want to get bogged down in the past when i can start getting more characters involved... I have a few others in mind for the main group as well as the reactions different people have for her from 1-A. Looking forward to pressing forward with this one._

 _as always I hope you all enjoyed it and will continue to support this story as it gets moving again :)_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Years Passed**_

 _Middle School was one of the greatest times in Izumi's life. Her social skills were still lacking but she now had a true friend to help her navigate the difficult waters. Slowly she was able to make connections... helping a classmate study for a difficult test, chiming in on local hero gossip, or even a simple kind word toward someone with a difficult quirk. She'd even join the Gymnastic team at the urging of Alyward as it would help further her flexibility. She was hardly popular and her nerdier habits still drew some teasing but overall she was... normal. Just another girl in school._

 _Well, one who used to be a boy anyway._

 _That fact alone carried more than a few moments of awkwardness, but nothing that couldn't be explained away as being 'shy'... It was strange around boys and girls at first but even that got easier with time. Dr. Matou always said she wasn't a different person. In hope of reassuring her that the changes she felt were natural to her new self..._

 _But she WAS a different person. Izumi had friends, she had a quirk, she had hobbies and talents outside of observing heroes, she had both parents with her every day and a very attentive trainer who was helping her reach her dream. Being Izumi was... easier than being Izuku had ever been. She never told Dr. matou about those feelings..._

 _Before long the next great step came in her final year of middle school... the exam that would change her life..._

* * *

"You're sure you have everything sweety?" Inko wrung her hands together as her daughter slipped her shoes on.

"I'm sure mom," Izumi tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice, but wasn't entirely successful. Her mom meant well but one could only answer the same questions so many times. Her backpack held all her supplies for both the written and practical exam. Notebooks for both testing and quirk watching, a UA exam no doubt bringing out all manners of quirk users. She even packed away a track suit for a physical exam but still found herself dressing in her Junior high Uniform. Maybe it was all the training she'd been doing with Aylward in preparation but she'd gotten comfortable moving around in a skirt... she wasn't sure yet if that was a good thing or a bad one...

"Okay..." Her mother sighed trying to expel all her nervous energy.

"Sure you don't want a ride to campus?" Her father called from the living room, head peeking just around the wall. She shook her head and offered a small smile.

"Thanks but i'll be okay. I'm going to take the train in with Kyo-chan."

"Okay kiddo, well you knock'em dead out there."

"Right!"

"Remember your training," Alyward spoke up seated just at the edge of the entryway. His tail curled around his paws. "With your mind focused there's nothing they can throw at you that you can not overcome."

"Yes Sensei." she replied with a firm nod. Izumi felt a light touch on her cheek, bringing her attention back to her mother. Inko tucked a stray hair behind her daughter s ear, smiling and a little teary eyed.

"You've grown so much in so little time," she smiled a little wider as izumi blushed.

"You say that but I've barely grown at all since the change." both women giggled, the elder midoriya pulled her daughter in close.

"I'm proud of you Izumi." She whispered softly. "Even with everything that s happened, you've adapted to it all so wonderfully... Do your best, we'll be rooting for you." Izumi, getting a little misty eyed herself, nodded giving her mother a tight squeeze. Inko stepped back and just took into the image of her daughter... She'd grown her hair out, the wavy green now falling just past her shoulders, held back with a couple of hairclips. Her body toned from regular exercise, subtle curves showing the woman she was swiftly becoming.

Izumi straighten the straps on her backpack and strode confidently into the sunlight. "I'm off!"

Izumi kept a steady jog from her house, focusing her all her nervous energy into forward momentum. Her mind was buzzing with possible exam hurdles, creeping doubts were swiftly followed surges of determination. The cycle continued on for the rest of her jog until the sight of the train station where she set the introspection aside.

"Oi Izu, what kept you?" Jirou's casual drawl caught the green haired girl's ear just before she spotted her friend through the crowd. She had eschewed wearing her uniform for a more casual outfit aimed for physical testing. "The train will be here any minute."

"Sorry, my mom held me up on the way out." she scratched the back of her head, memory of her mother s sincere praise bringing a light flush of red to her cheeks.

"It's all good." Jirou shrugged and smirked a bit. "So today s the day huh? Hard to believe we're really heading to UA today. Surreal stuff."

"Yeah, I know." a nervous giggle escaped izumi's mouth. "I was up late last night looking into potential exams and possible scenarios. I mean I'm sure the written exam won't be a walk in the park either but the sheer range of possibilities for hero testing is immense." she could feel her words getting away from her, shoulders tensing as she trailed off into stream of conscious muttering. An arm around her shoulder calmed her down and brought her back to reality again. She glanced to Jirou, cheeks rosy "Ah s-sorry... I was doing it again wasn't I?"

"Yeah, you were starting to short out again." she gave the girl's shoulder a squeeze. "Just relax girl, you got this." she spoke with her usual easy confidence. "No point in frying your brain before the test begins. Riiiight?"

"Yes Kyochan." Jirou released the girl with a hearty pat on the back. The overhead speakers pinged brightly signalling the trains arrival, the waiting crowd gathering to the front of the platform as it pulled up. The musician started her way onto the half packed train and motioned for Izumi to follow... The green haired girl couldn't help but smile as she followed a step behind...

* * *

It wasn't hard to find UA, the closer they got to the campus the more students and examees began to fill the train cars. Jirou kept up small talk to keep izumi's mind off the upcoming test. Before they knew it the stop had come and all the students began to file off the train... The campus itself only a short walk from the station. It's sheer size and majesty making it visible long before they even saw the entrance. Kyoka whistled lightly as they passed under the ornate gates.

"Damn, so this is what a fancy school looks like." Her tone held it's usual monotone but she was tense, her jacks twitching slightly.

"This is really it." izumi could feel all the emotions rushing into her at once. The highs and lows that led her here. She gripped her straps tightly as she stared up at the main building. "All Might's alma mater...UA academy..." the spell was broken as someone roughly bumped her shoulder passing by, Jirou caught her before she stumbled too far off balance.

"Watch it, Asshole!"

"Hm?" Something about that voice made Izumi freeze. "Keh, I don't move aside for extras." The voice blew off Kyoka's threatening tone like it was nothing. Izumi shakily looked up to see familiar mess of wild blond hair. "Esspecially if they're standing around gawking like a fucking tourist." He let out a derisive snort and started to walk away...

"K-Kacchan?" she spoke softly, barely believing it herself but somehow he seemed to hear stopping suddenly and slowly turning around. Beady red eyes glaring back at her, his anger melting away to confusion. He looked her up and down, she couldn't help but do the same... he'd grown since she'd last seen him. He was clearly taller and despite the simple uniform it was clear he'd kept up his physical training.

"Deku?" he muttered to himself, tone unclear...She must have changed more than she thought if he was this puzzled. She decided to take that as a compliment to her training rather then the more obvious and likely reason...

"Sorry for what happened back then. I never got to say that since well..." she trailed off unprepared for the meeting she settled with offering a stiff bow. Slowly rising once more. "F-For what it's worth, good luck." she offered the boy a small smile, it seemed to take him out of whatever funk he was in. He frowned deeply and turned away.

"Whatever, Just stay outta my way." and with that he marched off. Izumi sighed and shook her head. Same old Kacchan.

"So... THAT'S the infamous 'Kacchan'." Jirou noted watching the boy as he stomped off. "He seems like a real winner." Her sarcasm was palatable. "How could you ever hang out with a dick like that?"

"He wasn't as bad before his quirk manifested." Even Izumi knew that defense was weak but she had to at least try. "It's probably for the best things happened like they did, but I still can't help but admire him a little." she admitted with a sigh, melancholy seeping into her tone. Jirou hmmed lightly tilting her head to the side.

"You know. I never took you for one to be into Bad boys," she mused aloud nearly causing Izumi to trip on her own this time. "It s always the quiet ones isn't it..."

"W-Wait it's nothing like that!" despite herself her face exploded into a bright red, embarrassment mixing with a little bit of disgust at the thought of it. Jirou's husky chuckle mingled low ambient chatter of the passing crowd. She offered a bemused smirk and Izumi rising tension faded, realizing she was just teasing. Pouting a little but unable to fully hide her smile she swatted the brunette in the shoulder and the two continued further into the campus, heart a little lighter as they entered the exam hall...

* * *

The written exam was mostly a blur, even with Cementos the Cement Hero of all people setting up the basics the tension was just too high to appreciate it fully. Everyone kept in strict seating working feverously in silence. Izumi was fairly sure she got more right then wrong but she'd have no way to know until she saw the results... The difficulty wasn't so much in the material being covered and more consistently open ended questions that followed in the heroics portion. For a worrier like herself it became very easy to second guess her initial answer to a question or look for tricks in the wordings. By the time the final bell rang she felt like she'd run a mental marathon. She wandered out into the hall in a daze, grateful for the reprieve before the practical testing would begin. Exhausted examenes exchanged tense greetings and small talk. She picked a clear spot by one of the windows, not wanted to wade through the crowd of taller teens any longer then she had to. After all, when both you and your best friend are short you have to get creative. She began to hum softly, it was simple tune she knew all too well. A jingle from one of All might's old commercials, most people forgot it long ago. Any minute now...

"Hm, she's over this way somewhere." Kyoka's faint voice came from the left. Izumi kept humming as she craned her neck looking for her friend. Finally in a break in the crowd they caught eyes. Stopping her tune she waved her friend over to her spot by the window. Jirou slumped against the window, groaning.

"Man, that was intense,"

"I know, I must have gone back over my answers three times a piece."

"So Annoying," The brunette rubbed her temples as if a headache was coming on. "Why couldn't they have been more clear with what they wanted..."

"I wonder if that s the point," Izumi tapped her chin with a thoughtful frown. "A hero's job is rarely straight-forward after all?"

"But indecision in a time of crisis will cause more harm than good, right?" she shot back with a sigh..

"True but if you limit your options th-" maybe she could feel a rant coming because she preemptively raised a hand to halt it from continuing.

"You know, I just want to stop thinking for a while," Jirou cut in before a debate to fully spark. "How about a walk? I think a little fresh air is in order before the next test." Izumi blinked, confused at the sudden conversation turn before offering a shrug and a smile..

"Fair enough, lead the way Kyochan." The Duo took their leave. Heavy thoughts of tests and what ifs replaced by a more casual discussion of any interesting examee's they spotted. It seemed like Izumi was winning the impromtu contest with her notice of boy whose head was a speech bubble straight out of comic books at least until her friend chimed in..

"I think there was a ghost girl two rows up from me."

"What do you mean 'Ghost'?" izumi pressed, her curiosity was starting to win out.

"Hm, I'm not sure how else to put it." She looked thoughtfully up to the sky. "The only thing in the seat was a floating girl's school uniform... I couldn't get a much better look from my seat".

"A Projection quirk of some kind? No, they would have to take the test in person for it to be valid. So either an unnecessarily complicated act of telekinesis or some form of Invisibility." izumi's brow furrowed. "Invisibility could be a valuable skill in the field but if her clothes are visible that negates all the benefits." she pulled her a notebook from her backpack and began quickly writing out her thoughts. Jirou facepalmed and let out a long sigh.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought up quirks." she grumbled as Izumi continued muttering to herself, oblivious to the world. Shaking her head, her ear jack snaked over and tapped her friend on the cheek. The vibration of Jirou's steady heartbeat disrupting her train of thought, lingering long enough for Izumi to stop what she was doing. She slowly glanced up over her notebook.

"um... Yes?"

"Put the notebook away Izu, Nerd out on your own time."

"R-Right, sorry." properly shamed she place her hero analysis notebook back in her bag. A digital bell rang clearly throughout the campus.

"All Exam participants please report to the assembly hall for instructions" a robotic voice announced. The two friends nodded to each other and joined the small tide of prospects on their way back inside. The announcement rang one last time as the nervous masses outside filed back into the auditorium.

"For all you examinee listeners tuning in, Welcome to my show today! Everybody say "Hey"!" this request was met only with silence... well not entirely.

"Its the Voice Hero, Present Mic! kya~!" Izumi tried to keep quiet, could barely repress the squee that escaped her lips. "I listen to him every week on the radio. I'm so moved~." she whispered bouncing a little in her seat. A light stab in her leg broke her focus causing her to look around at all the annoyed/curious exammes who had turned her way. Turning beat red she looked down at her lap with a muttered apology. Jirou merely shook her head as she retracted her jack. "Hm, With Cementos introducing the written portion of the exam and now this." Izumi continued softly. "Does that mean all of the teachers here are Pro Heroes?"

Present Mic went on to explain the exam, an urban battle scenario using robots to act as villains. It seemed inline with some of the other exams Izumi had heard about in her research, though she had hoped for something else. Reinforcement was a support power at heart, to use it offensively she was going to have to get creative...

"In addition, You! Green haired girl!" Her thought process shattered as a rather studious boy who had been asking a question turned all attention to her. "You've been muttering and squealing this whole time. It's distracting." He glared, the spotlight above flashing off his glasses. "If you re here for a pleasure trip then you should leave immediately." The examees all around her snickered as she lowered her head again. Kyoka narrowed her eyes, holding a glare with the boy who'd singled her friend out.

"Ignore him Izu, he's just talking out his ass." Jirou whispered getting only a nod in reply. The confrontation over for now Present Mic continued his explanation. The Mysterious 0p 'obstacle' got the whole room buzzing. The Voice hero kept up his usual exuberance finishing the presentation off with UA's school motto. Izumi put aside her embarrassment focusing on the excitement filling her. The assembly hall began to empty as the prospects all headed off to their designated battle grounds.

"Dang, even though our student numbers are next to each other they put us in different zones." Jirou frowned at her paper.

"Yeah, I guess they don't want people who know each other to team up. It would probably skew the results." Izumi noted biting her lip. Somehow the pressures of the test returned tenfold. Anxiety and doubts plaguing her mind. Izumi clenched her fist looking determined. "Well, I know you will be just fine. So I just give it my all and we'll get in together." She put her fist out in front of her. She had a brave face but her arm was clearly shaking. "R-Right?" she voice cracked slightly but kept the determined smile on her face. Jirou smirked bumping her fist against Izumi's.

"That's the attitude I want to see." Tension eased up in Izumi's shoulders offering her friend a firm nod before they split up. Now it would be time to put all her hard work to the test.

* * *

Battlefield B

A city in miniature created solely for hero testing and training. Having just one of these is an insane investment and if what present mic said is to be believed they had at least 8... Insane to even consider. Even for the most prestigious school in all of Japan. She looked up to the massive gates trying to calm her pounding heart or shaky knees. Her resolve had diminished once she split from her friend, She'd be on her own for this... for the first time she'd have to put her powers to the forefront. She looked to the charm on her wrist, a piece of Hope given to her by her sensei. If she wanted to give it her all she'd need to change...

"But doing it in front of all these strangers is too embarrassing!" she squeaked pathetically, covering her face.

 _'Okay kiddo, well you knock'em dead out there.'_  
 _'With you mind focused there s nothing they can throw at you that you can not overcome.'_  
 _'Just relax girl, you got this.'_  
 _'I'm proud of you Izumi.'_

She took a deep breath and stood up straight. She wasn't alone... not with so many others rooting her on. With renewed determination she gripped the star-like charm and whispered.

"Pretty Guardian... Transform." Though her trigger was silent the rush of light and color caught the attention of her fellow examnees. They couldn't see under the soft green glow but she could feel the familiar surge of power as the divine vestments formed over her, replacing her tracksuit. As the light bleed away she stood proud, fists clenched at her side.

"The hell?!"  
"What s with that outfit?"  
"She's pretty cute though"  
"Did she bring that from home?"  
"OhMyGoshOhMyGosh-"  
"So Frilly..."

Izumi pushed back her tears, bringing a clenched fist up. "Everyone is staring at me." she whimpered softly. This was more embarrassing than she could have imagined.

"What is the meaning of this?!" The studious boy from before rushed over to her, face stern. He loomed over her and crossed his arms. "First the assembly and now this... this outfit! This is a mockery to this exam!" he leaned right into her face and her resolve cracked.

"W-What? N-no I... this is just."

"You think this is all some game?!"

"I.." Tears came to her eyes unbidden, she turned her gaze away.

 _'Ignore him Izu, he's just talking out his ass'_

"I..." she turned back and looked the taller teen right in the eyes. "I d-don't have to p-prove anything to you." her voice was soft and wavering but it did make the boy back off and give her space.

"What?"

"Yeah lay off the girl." a voice called out from the crowd by the gate. Soon joined by others.

"She can wear what she wants."  
"It is fabulous~"  
"Leave her alone."  
"Yeah you bully!"

"B-Bully?" He flinched at the word looking between the crowd and Izumi. "I didn't intend-"

"Okay Start!" Present Mic's voice boomed over all others. All eyes turned upward to the voice hero, perched up on a tower. "What's wrong? There are not countdowns in real fights!" The crowd started to scramble, Izumi took her chance and ran for the now open gates, anything to make some distance between herself her harasser. "Run, run! The Die has been Cast you know!"

Everyone dispersed looking for enemies to fight. Izumi ignored the first couple she saw as they were immediately dog piled by multiple students. "Robots, I need something that can fight against robots." She stopped at an intersection coming face to face with a 2p villain. Instinctively she backed away as the metal monster loomed above her.

"Target acquired. I'll kill you." With no other warning it lunged for her at full speed. Her body froze up for a moment, panic starting to set in.

 _'Remember your training.'_

"Aylward-Sensei. R-Right" she cursed softly before focusing her power. "Reinforce!" she jumped, the divine vestments giving her the ability to easily clear the robot as it plowed past into the wall behind her. With the sound of grinding metal half of the robot plowed clean through the building, the other half was stopped cold... the wall in question completely undamaged and faintly sparkling. She stumbled with her landing, unused to putting her boosted form in action. She looked back at her work, a smile crept onto her face. "I-It worked!. 2pts!" she clenched her fist tightly, confidence soaring. "I can do this." She took off down the road in search of more...

"7 minutes remaining!" A robot toppled as a glowing stop sign cleaved through it's leg like it was nothing. Izumi pulled it free and stuck it through the robots head and into the concrete.

"9pts. Stay calm," The villain's AI was straightforward and uncomplicated from what shei was able to gather. It sought out any examees in range and was attracted to loud conflicts. The main streets were an open melee of prospects battling to get the final blow on any bot that they could reach... Smart money would be to pick off villains as they congregated toward those large conflicts. she'd already noticed a few others catch on. One sniping away with a massive laser before relocating so not to be swarmed. Another with multiple arms dropping down on bots from above and over-powering them before they could retaliate...

"So many amazing quirks, but I have to focus on myself." She almost didn't hear the rumble of the approaching villain until it was on top of her. it burst through the wall sending her flying across the street. The 3pter closed the distance in her daze preparing to smash down before it twitched and went limp, red eye dimming to black.

"Thanks for the distraction!" Came a cheerful girl's voice, Izumi looked around but couldn't see anyone. "Wait! You're the magical girl!" there was the lightest of taps as a pair of sneakers fell off from behind the robot... and then ran toward him.

"Huh?!" the sneakers stopped just in front of her and she could feel someone invading her personal space. She took a step back reflexively. Izumi thought back to Kyoka s comment earlier...

'The only thing in the seat was a floating girl's school uniform and no body...'

The invisible girl... but this time it's only sneakers. If this girl couldn't make her clothing invisible it really only meant one thing... The Guardian in training flushed brightly at the thought. She had enough trouble using her divine vestments in public . This girl was definitely strong in her own way.

"Don't play koy~ I know a magical girl outfit when I see one~" The girl voice was right next to her, seemingly taking her embarrassed look as a more personal feeling rather then in relation to herself. "I thought I was a big fan but you really put your all into the execution. You must be a fan of the classics! What archive community do you follow?"

"I-I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow..." Izumi focused her mind away the girls lack of clothes, unsure what she was going on about.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, there's pre-quirk media for all kinds of people." she tried to sound supportive but trailed off. "You re serious?... wait. That would mean-"

"4 minute 25 seconds!" Mic's voice boomed through the battleground, immediately bringing a sense of urgency to the situation.

"Shoot, so little. Sorry, but I need to go."

"W-Wait!" But izumi was already running, she didn't know where the threshold of success was but she knew it was going to be more than 9pts.

"Target acquired."

"Behind," Izumi turned to see another 3pt villain charging straight forward. She scanned her immediate area for some improvised weapons to use, catching a sight of sneakers between herself and the villain. "Look out!"

"Eh?"

"Reinforce!" from nothing an outline of sparkles showed the curved figure of a girl. Just as the robot swung it's arm in a wide arc knocking the invisible examee off her feet and into the wall, a trail of sparkles following her to the point of impact. The bot unfortunately remained focused on it's prey and turned to the downed girl as she struggled to stand.

"Crap," Izumi jumped onto the things back looking for any weakpoint to exploit, at least to distract it somehow.

"There's an off switch, Just behind its head. It's hidden!" The invisible girl shouted as she struggled to her feet.

"O-Okay," taking the girl's advice she scrambled up to the robots head and felt around. There was a switch. One flick and the whole thing powered down. Both girls let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, that just knocked the wind out of me... but it should have done a lot more than that." there was a small tremble of fear in her voice, that must have been the first clean hit she'd taken the whole exam.

"I used my quirk to strengthen your body, I've never really used it on anyone it a fight yet... I'm glad it worked." She smiled happily.

"3 minutes!"

"Ahh! W-we'll talk later."

"R-right" Izumi lept from the robot and headed back to the main road, the distant foot taps of the invisible student behind her lost as the sound of battle increased again. In the distance robots rained from the sky around a brown haired girl who looked tired and pale. The studious jerk who had been harassing her rocketed through one with a mighty kick... everyone was giving it their all.

That was until IT showed up.

The ground shook. The thundering sound of grinding treads and crumbling concrete drew everyone's attention... the 0pter. It towered over the buildings looking down on the examees like they were insects.

'An obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. I recommend you listeners try to avoid it'

A massive fist swung and hit the ground with a force that nearly knocked Izumi from her feet with wind pressure alone. Everyone panicked and scattered away from the monstrous robot.

"Isn't this going overboard," Izumi tried to tear her eyes away from the robot and start running herself. If she just avoided the big lug surely there were a few more stragglers to get.

"Ow..." she froze again turning as the smoke started to clear... there was a girl on the ground, barely moving. Behind her a 2 story tank tread approached. she was in it's direct path! With a burst of adrenaline Izumi turned and charged back toward the Gimmick. If she didn't do something that girl would be crushed! She summoned up all the power she could muster and narrowed her eyes.

"REINFORCE!" she held her arms toward the giant robot. The sound of metal grinding on metal drowned out everything else... the treads slowed to a crawl as if fighting something.

* * *

 ** _~ one year ago~_**

 _Izumi sat on the living room floor in her exercise clothes, her usual regime of exercise was done so it was now time for her magic lesson._

 _"Now Izumi we are going to try something a little different today for your magic instructions. This will be about precision over power so you shouldn't need to transform." Aylward pushed a pocket watch between the two of them, choosing to ignore the girl's sigh of relief. "I want you to use your Magic on this watch. "_

 _"Yes Sensei." she looked to the watch and raised her hand over it. After the moment the watch was covered in the tell tale sparkles of Reinforce._

 _"What you are doing right now it reinforcing its outer shell, protecting it from damage much like any other object." The Cat explained, "But a watch is made up of many moving parts and mechanisms." he pointed a claw at the pocket watch, in the upper corner there was a decorative window to the turning gears inside. "I want you to use Reinforce on one of the mechanisms inside the watch. It's your choice."_

 _"Okay..." Izumi frowned a bit unsure where this was all going. She'd already practiced focusing her quirk into small objects. The sparkles left the watch and she focused on what gears she could see. She could feel her magic take hold and the watch ground to a near stop. It was fighting to keep functioning. "What?"_

 _"You see it, do you not?"_

 _"The reinforced gear... It's not turning."_

 _"Reinforcement magic uses power to increase the strength and durability of an object or living being." Her sensei began, "It prevents other forces from acting against it. Thus the gear you're reinforcing requires more force to be moved... power this small device simply doesn't possess." The girl s eyes widened as the truth of the lesson dawned on her. "In my world there were few such devices but here there are many." He smirked slightly revealing his fangs. "Something I'm sure you can put to great use."_

* * *

"Less the two minutes!"

Izumi grit her teeth putting everything she had into pumping as much reinforce into the looming treads. She had no idea of the internal mechanics of this robot but Tread mobility was something she could wrap her head around. The giant two story wheels sparkled brightly as they failed to turn, unable to move forward and crush the student.

"Thank you, Sensei..." She whispered to herself before glancing to the girl in question who was watching her in awe. "C-Can you move?"

"Not much, I overused my quirk." she sounded like she was going to be sick but managed to choke it down. This wasn't good, Izumi wasn't sure how long she could hold it off. If she lost focus for even a second-

"I Got her!" a pair of sneakers ran past her toward the downed examee. Relief pushed away the growing doubt and she doubled down on her focus hearing the satisfying metal groan get louder. The Invisible girl helped push the debris off the trapped girl and brought her to her feet, arm over one invisible shoulder they started to hobble for safety. As they passed Izumi she called out again. "We're clear!"

"R-Right." Izumi released her hold on the treads, dizzy from all the strain. She didn't have time to catch her breath, turning and racing after the other girls.. There might still be a few robots le-

"Times Up!" Mics voice boomed across the battlefield. A siren swiftly followed and all tension left Izumi's body, bracing herself on her knees to keep from falling, her divine vestments faded away in a trail of glittery sparkles returning her to her tracksuit. Her hair losing some of its volume and luster as if fell over her face.

"I guess 12pt will have to do." she sighed to herself before looking over to the other two girls. Her personal disappointment outweighed by the other's safety.

"T-Thank you so much." The brown haired girl bowed deeply despite being seated. Something she likely regretted as she nearly threw up from the sudden motion.

"Don't worry about it," the invisible girl said cheerfully, despite having no visible indication he felt as if the girl had looked her way. "A hero can't just stand by and watch someone get squished. right?"

"Right," Izumi agreed with a smile. He felt the rush of her personal space being invaded once more, the sneakers right up in front of her own.

"But that was so cool! How did you manage to stop that thing? I thought your quirk was for buffing!"

"Eh, well-" a gust of chilly February air blew by causing her to squeak and jump... it seemed after the excitement of the test over reality started to set in.

"H-Hold that thought, I need to go get something to wear." she sprinted off muttering darkly about having outdoor tests at this time of year. Izumi couldn't help but giggle a bit at the absurdity of it all.

"Wait... Does that mean this whole time she was-" The brown haired girl turned a deep shade of pink.

"It's best not to think too hard on it." The green haired girl offered her hand. "Do you need any help getting back to the entrance?"

"N-no, I just need to sit for a bit." she smiled brightly. "I'll be fine, please go on ahead." Respecting the girls wishing she offered and nod and walked off. Sore but satisfied. "... I hope 28 points will be enough." she heard the girl whispered, her own doubts returning. She hadn't even reached half that score... this test really was skewed for combat quirks. She sighed trying not to think too darkly on it.

"I hope Kyochan did okay." she looked back up catching a glance from the studious boy who was watching her intently. Flushing at the attention she did her best to ignore him as she walked back to the gate.

"Hello young lady," a kindly voice brought Izumi back to reality. She looked down to a little old lady with a cane in the style of a syringe. The elderly woman smiled up to her. "Good job, would you like some gummies?"

"Eh? wait. You're The Youthful Heroine, Recovery Girl!~" she squealed happily. The title may be a little out of date but she was one of the most famous healers in the pro-hero community. Though she retired from active duty many years ago her services were clearly still in high demand if she was working here. "This is so cool!"

"It's nice to see the younger generation still remembers." she chuckled softly giving the girl a few gummy bears for her trouble. "I do apologize but I have a lot of work to do."

"Y-yes of course." she jumped aside despite not really being in the old woman's way. She toddled off down the road healing up any of the injured examnees she passed with a kiss on the cheek. "I suppose having a healer of that caliber lets them have dangerous tests like this..." she mused. It put the whole test and it's extremes in a lot more clarity. In the end it didn't matter too much... All that could be done is go home, rest and wait for the scores to be tallied up.

* * *

It was late afternoon when it all wrapped up, Kyoka had reconnected with her back in the locker room.

"Now that was a rush," she smirked as she changed into a fresh shirt, one she'd worn in the test torn and dirty. "It took awhile for me to get started but once I found the weak spots they were easy to drop."

"Oh how many pts did you get?" the number 12 bubbled up but she stuffed it down. This wasn't a contest, not between friends at least.

"Huh, you know I wasn't really keeping track." The Brunette tillied her head to the side. "I kinda figured keeping score was the Protors job so why bother with the details. Just focus on getting as many as I could." she shrugged lightly, looking unconcerned.

"As expected from you Kyochan, you can always keep your head under pressure." Izumi smiled softly to her friend as she slipped her skirt back on. "I had to scramble to find things that would work. Walls, railings. Hm, Maybe I should have stuck with that stop sign..." she mused thoughtfully. It wasn't a very heroic image, a girl in a frilly skirt swinging around a stop sign like an axe. jirou must have been thinking something similar because she started chuckling.

"Sounds pretty cool to me wish I'd seen it." She sat down pulling on her socks. "Oh, I saw your old buddy in the battleground."

"Kacchan? Really?" She glanced over surprised.

"Yeah, he was something else... Surrounded by destroyed bots. No one could hope to keep up with all that. I'm surprised I was able to even get as many bots as I did with him destroying so many."

"That sounds like him, he really is amazing," she said with a small solemn smile. It seems like he did well... That's good.

"He's a beast, I'll give him that. What kind of quirk could even let you do that?"

"Explosion," Izumi replied immediately, not even looking up from straightening her neck bow. "The sweat from his palms is kind of like Nitro-glicern... he can ignite it and set off an explosion. So the longer a fight goes on, the more he sweats."

"He can just keep fueling it?" Kyoka whistled, "Damn, that s hard to beat when it comes to combat. No wonder..." she slipped her shoes on before frowning a bit and glancing to her friend. "Did he use it on you?" her voice was soft and tone serious. Izumi flinched a bit but forced a smile.

"A few times when we were younger... before I moved away at least. He'd threaten more often than not but he knew better than to use it in school." In school was the important note to add but she could tell by her friend's darkening expression she could see through it. "That s all in the past anyway."

"Yeah, it is." Kyoka stood and slipped on her jacket. "Because if he tries any of that shit again he's going to regret it."

"Kyochan..." Izumi could feel her eyes mist up and she wiped them preemptively. Was this the kind of thing she was missing all those years ago? She was blessed...

"Man, that really turned the mood sour." She muttered, fiddling with her left jack. "Sorry Izu, Look let's just forget about him and go celebrate. Kay?"

"Sure, I'd like that... I should probably let my mom know." she shouldered her backpack and pulled her phone from the side pouch. "What did you have in mind?"

"Hm... A real release would be nice after all this stressful stuff. The usual?" she mused with a small smile.

"Karaoke it is," she replied in kind. That was the old standby, it was how they first became friends after all. Maybe it could take away the worry she was feeling over her low score...

"Oh it's you!" A voice called up over the mild din of the locker room. A floating uniform with baby blue backpack raced over to the pair as they were closing their lockers., "I thought I missed you there for a moment." she was just as cheerful as she had been in the battleground. "We didn't really get to talk with the robots and time limit and all."

"Ah, true." Izumi managed a reply, not having expected to run into the girl again. Her wearing more clothes was almost more surreal then having a conversation with a pair of sneakers. The girl was clearly energetic, speaking with exaggerated movements... but considering the nature of her quirk one could hardly blame her.

"So this is the Ghost girl?" jirou asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Invisible not a Ghost, though am a Hit at halloween parties." she gave a mock salute, presumably since you can't see her hand or forehead. "Hagakure Tooru at your service."

"Midoriya Izumi," she said softly before motioning to her left. "And this is my friend Jirou Kyoka."

"S'up."

"Well, I was hoping we could talk a bit after our whole epic team up but I couldn't help but overhear you were going to karaoke?" Tooru asked hopefully empty sleeves pulling up to her chin. Izumi could feel the puppy dog look even without seeing it. Any chance there's room for one more?

"Um, I don t really mind. What about you Kyochan?"

"Sure, Why not?" The brunette said with a shrug. "We're all in the same boat today after all, no reason not to let loose." she added with a hint of a smirk.

"Sweet!" The invisible girl pumped her fist, her energy infectious. The three girls left the campus amidst lively chatter, promises of sugary drinks and soundproofed rooms in their future. Izumi couldn't think of a better way to end the day...

* * *

 **AN** : Man, I've been sitting on this chapter since I initially came up with this concept... it's been in a nearly completely state since before i even put the first chapter up in the site. Not to say this didn't need heavy editing... originally there was a second friend the Izuku made in middle school who would have been a future canon classmate. But I thought that was a bit too much of a coincidence... and after the long struggle that was writing in Kyoka's intro to this AU I decided to let it lie there.

Why is tooru in Battle field B? could you proves she WASN'T there? Hmmm!... but in all seriousness I like tooru's character in concept and wanted to explore her in a fic. Ironically it took so long to write up to here that I had a totally different idea of a fic (See 'Transparency is important in relationships'). This fics version o Torru is completely different then that ones... the way her power works, her home life as well as her hobby. She's a fan of Magical girl's, Pre-quirk media enthusiast. I've seen other fics use that angle to introduce super hero comics and such into the world of mha so why not magical girls... so yes, she'll be a bit genre savvy of things and add some comic flavor. Oh she doesn't know Izumi is a real magical girl though... not YET at least. but you'll have to wait a bit for that chapter as I'm currently working on that one. updates will likely slow back down a bit due to my job, new MTG set release and Fire emblem three houses... but it feels good to finally get this bit up.

As usual, hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you Next time!

Edited: fixed some missed formatting and word choices


	7. Interlude: The Meeting

"I'm not sure I like this Al…" Hisashi muttered as he pulled into the golden arch of the UA Campus. In the seat beside him sat a black cat with pink stripes and a furrowed brow of his own. "How did he even find out about our research?"

"The teaching staff is no doubt curious if they witnessed the Guardian transformation during the exam…" The Keeper said calmly.

"But to ask for you by Name?"

"The Principal must have extensive connections." he replied simply, knowing there was little that could be done about it now. Parking the car the Midoriya patriarch got out, waiting for his companion to trot out the driver side door before closing it. "It is quite an impressive campus though, much greater than any educational facility we had back on Davaria."

"It's the top hero school in the country for a reason.." Hisashi said straightening his tie out of nerves. Both made their way into the main building, empty due to vacation. They walked in silence up to the 5th floor until they spotted the correct office. The secretary, to her credit only hesitated slightly before ushering Alyward toward the office though refused to let Hisashi follow...

* * *

"Thank you for coming on such short notice Aylward-san."

"It is my pleasure... Lord Nezu was it not?" Alyward replied with a slight bow as he observed his host. The Principal of UA was an odd being to be certain. Radiating with a strong aura, stronger than most humans he'd observed. To reach such a position of status as well in this fickle popularity driven world spoke much of his influence... Surely a fascinating story but that would have to be for another time. There were more pressing matters to discuss. "If you have summoned me, despite my attempts to remain undercover, then I imagine this is about my guardian Midoriya Izumi ."

"Indeed." The creature steepled his fingers atop his desk and smiled. "She's quite the impressive young woman. She did well on her exams. She was very creative with her quirk use, managing a serviceable amount of villain points despite having a support quirk. Her Strong heroic drive to face off alone against our gimmick at the end of the test impressed many of the teachers... and of course that Transformation." his voice remained calm and casual but his gaze held an imposing presence. "It's quite impressive, though some teachers were worried it was outside assistance... if that is the case it would invalidate the physical portion of the exam entirely." whether it was genuine or not Nezu seemed unhappy at the prospect.

"I see... That would indeed be a lot of trouble." the Keeper of Hope replied with forced pleasantness. "I'm sure there is something we can do to rectify this misunderstanding."

"I do hope so... Perhaps you could explain the nature of this change."

"Very well, but I do trust this will stay confidential. There are several people working very hard on the best way to present this publicly and I would not want to undermine their efforts."

"But of course, this would stay within the walls of this office." The principal assured the keeper getting up from behind his desk and walking over to a low table at the side of the room. "I do of course hold the right to pass on any relevant information to the teaching staff may be instructing Midoriya-san."

"That is a fair enough request."

"Tea?"

"That would be lovely thank you..."

The two spoke long into the afternoon, Nezu offering probing questions between pleasantries while Alyward tried to provide only what was relevant to the situation while still remaining courteous. Verbal and mental sparring that went on for a solid hour before the Principal was satisfied.

"Fascinating, simply Fascinating." The Principal took a long sip as he finished off his tea. "Rewriting and empowering it's host… for all intents and purposes changing their quirk. Your companion's research could very well change our understanding of what quirks are and could be."

"Indeed. Though that is beyond the scope of our current dilemma." Alyward insisted.

"Of course, of course." He placed his cup back on it's plate and smiled pleasantly. "On the matter of Midoriya Izumi I think there is enough evidence that this guardian transformation is in part of his power as a whole. In the future we will have to consider the catalyst to be a piece of support equipment, I can get the appropriate paperwork set aside... should she pass officially."

"That is most kind of you Lord Nezu."

"Not at all, it's best to get such procedures settled ahead of time should any other cases crop up in the future." he steepled his fingers in his lap and flicked his tail. "After all you no doubt intend on recruiting other guardians in the future."

"That Is the will of the Hope not my own," the Keeper insisted patiently. "But in such a hero driven society it would be foolish to write off the possibility." he conceded noting the enlightened animal's eyes lighting up at the prospect.

"Now, should Midoriya-san pass and get accepted you will no doubt be continuing her tutelage, correct?"

"It is my duty to Instruct future guardians."

"But you can understand quirks as well as their evolved form in 'magic'?"

"That is also true." Alyward flicked his tail trying to read where this was leading to but Nezu's face offered no tells.

"I was just trying to consider options to ease such an arrangement. After all, our curriculum is quite extensive on it's own. We hold our students to a very high standard." he spread is hands out. "If we could keep it all in-house it would be better for everyone."

"Are you… offering me a job Lord Nezu?" the keepers voice somewhere between amused and puzzled.

"Something to that effect." Nezu conceded with a chuckle. "We have had an opening for sometime for a guidance counselor for the Hero and Support dept. Hound Dog has been doing his best handing all students but it's a daunting task for one man to handle. With your Temperament, quirk knowledge and experience as an educator I think you'd be a perfect choice."

"I am flattered, but my allegiance is to The Hope and my guardians." The Cat said firmly, brooking no argument. He locked eyes with the principal, tension rising. "Should she pass, then perhaps we could discuss such an arrangement." he closed his eyes, feeling his point was made.

"But of course Alyward-san, as beneficial as your contributions could be I would not tarnish the standards of our school in order to acquire them. I assure you should Midoriya-san pass the exam it will be only on her own merits." he promised and yet Aylward couldn't help but feel he lost this encounter by some degree. "Now I'm sure I've kept you long enough, so you're free to go. Thank you so much for coming by."

"The honor was mine Lord Nezu," the two talking animals exchanged bows before the Keeper made his way out the door, opening it with a flick of telekinesis. Hisashi stood as saw the door open. The two exchanged a look and left the office without says a word. It was only once they'd started to traversed the empty hallways that the human spoke up.

"So?"

"I managed to convince them not to disqualify Izumi." at that Hisashi visibly relaxed.

"Thank god." The man chuckled a bit but noticed his companion remained tense. "Did something else happen?"

"You could say that..." Aylward was quiet more a moment, considering his words and the exchange in the office carefully. "The Principal seemed much more interested in The Hope and Myself. In fact I don't think this meeting was actually about Izumi at all." as he said it out loud it seemed all the more plausible.

"I see..." Hishashi frowned as they left the main building and started toward the parking lot. "Should we be concerned?"

"I don't believe so," the cat shook his head. "For all of his ability and presence to hide his motives his aura never wavered toward any dark intentions." The magic, or rather quirk that had awakened Nezu's intelligence gave him no knowledge of magic and its workings so Alyward felt the aura reading alone could justify that allowance. "That being said he definitely is interested in securing my services and likely the potential creation of new guardians within the student body." he nodded sure of this train of deduction. "He seemed more interested in arranging policies for future guardians than whether Izumi should qualify in the first place."

"So she passed?"

"I would hazard to say yes, but it would be best to wait until official confirmation before telling her." he smiled slightly, proud that it seemed his guardian had conquered another obstacle in the way to her dream. Getting back in the car the two started their way back home. Hisashi lit a cigarette with his quirk and lowered the window to give the smoke a means of escape.

"I'll admit, if we obtained the backing of a prodigious academy like UA it would do wonders for our next presentation..." he mused, keeping his eyes on the traffic before him. "But no need to jump right into things. Let's just continue on the plan for now. It would help if we could expand our pool of subjects."

"It is the will of The Hope for who can become a proper guardian," Alyward said with a sigh. Though he enjoyed the process of discovery Hisashi and his team embarked on it was tiring in other ways. "Your wife thus far is the only other being it has responded to and I'm sure neither of you would like to see her as a young girl."

"Well, I mean it depends how YOUNG we're talking about..." Hishashi mused with a sly grin. Aylward merely rolled his eyes, knowing the human had no true intention to push such a change. That potential outcome had been set aside years before. Though it did add some weight to Nezu's own words... meeting such a large pool of potential heroes could mean much for Hisashi's work as well as his own. Guiding young heroes did sound appealing... They'd just have to wait and see what the future would bring.

* * *

AN: A bit of filler between longer updates... I think I may start to do this once and a while for when I have a scene I deem important but it just doesn't fit in the chapters... the next proper chapter is most of the way done and I'm pretty happy with it. It should make for a nice bridge leading to the start of school and Izumi meeting her classmates and we really get to see the changes hit... But that's going be after the next update which will be Tooru POV.

Hope you enjoyed this little tidbit and hopefully will see you sometime in the next couple weeks with Chapter 7


	8. Chapter 7

It had been over a week since the UA entrance exams, the results were still days away. In a small apartment a transparent girl laid flopped on the living room couch. An oversized violet T-shirt draped lazying over her, the slightest peek of white cotton floating inside it, snug against her invisible hips. The TV was on, some day time talk shows debating the merits of (insert mundane hero topic). The girl in question wasn't even watching, just laying on the couch staring up at the ceiling.

Hagakure Tooru was Bored.

After the adrenaline high of the practical exam and the pleasant cool down of unexpected karaoke it had been a steady decline from then on. Her brief encounter with Midoriya Izumi have prompted her to dust off her retroplayer and rewatch some old shows she hadn't seen in years. But soon enough she needed some other stimuli... Her parents were still working their usual schedules, she of had no one to hang out with, there wasn't even any school to dis- wait. She sat up abruptly. She had someone she could hang out with!... well if they weren't busy. That little detail barely occurred to her as she hopped to her feet and rushed back to her room, bare feet skidding on the carpet to take the sharp turn directly into her room. The soft tan and beige of the hall was overwhelmed by the bright pastels of her bed room. Rushing past her shelves of Pre-quirk media and diving onto her bed sending hapless stuffed animals tumbling to the floor. She reached to her night stand and groped blindly for her smartphone. She tugged excitedly pausing only briefly to unplug the charger rather then yank the whole thing from the wall. she forced herself to slow down as she navigated to the contact list, they hadn't talked since the evening of the exam but they had at least exchanged phone numbers. She rapidly texted out a greeting but only got gibberish. With a frown she navigated back out to the contacts, it seemed no matter how she tweaked the setting touch screens always struggled to register her. It was just as well, she preferred talk of texting any day.

"Um, Hello?"

"Yo Midori-chan!"

"H-Hagakure-san." she seemed a bit taken aback by the energetic greeting, perhaps she should turn it down a couple notches. "Um, hi. What's up?" her reply was soft but happy.

"Nothing, and that's the problem." She added a huff for emphasis. "I'm going crazy waiting on the results." she kicked her feet as she propped the phone into a more comfortable position. "How you holdin' up?

"Bout the same," a nervous giggle seemed to slip out, "I'm just finished my morning training, so I'm just surfing for any interesting news at the moment..." Tooru gained an unseen grin, all according to plan.

"Oh really?" she played coy. "Since neither of us are doing anything, maybe we could hang or something." she kept her tone as casual as possible, not wanting to come on too strong. Midoriya seemed the shy type. Something reinforced by her haltered reply.

"Eh? um s-sure." there was a pause, "What did you have in mind?" she sounded unsure for some reason.

"Weeelll," Tooru rolled over and looked up to the ceiling. "Normally I'd say the mall or something but I'm a bit low on spending money." it was a lie but it set things up nicely for her 'alternative'. "But I do kinda wanted to show you some of that stuff I mentioned."

"... The Magical girl thing?"

"Yeah! I could bring it by your place and we could hang out!"

"M-My place?" she sounded on the back foot again, she was pushing too hard.

"If you can't it's cool and all," she added swiftly so as not to overwhelm the girl. "I just kinda wanted to get out of my apartment, even if it was just to go to another apartment." she giggled, relieved to hear the other girl laughing as well.

"Well I don't mind I guess," Score! "Wait, Don't you live out in Tokyo?" crap, that did complicate things a bit... unless.

"Dang, we wouldn't get a lot of time to hang out..." she paused but didn't give enough time for Izumi to chime in with another idea before starting again. "Oh! We could have a sleepover!" This was a risk, it's not something you normally just spring on someone, especially someone new... but part of her was hoping it could work out. The silence on the other end was disheartening. "That's probably too much huh?"

"Well... it could be fun." Hope raised again. "I'll just have to check with Mom first, hold on a sec." the phone grew muffled as Izumi disappeared. Tooru held her breath crossed her fingers and waited. With a few bumps and scrapes the voice picked back up. "Hey, sorry bout that. Mom says she's fine with it, as long as your parents know."

"Awesome, I'll be sure to let them know!" The key being if they even noticed she was gone... that thought stung a bit more than she intended, but kept it out of her voice. "So just let me clean up and I'll hop the train over." She tilted her head back to check the time. "Text me the nearest station to you and I'll let you know when I'm close."

"Okay, I guess I'll see you soon then?"

"Yup!~" she hopped out of bed, already shedding what little clothes she had by the time Izumi had hung up. She tossed them aside and her phone to the bed. No time to enjoy a bath, but a nice hot shower would have to do. The water collided with her transparent body giving an abstract impression of her figure.

'That's so cool! It's almost like you're actually there!~'

She paused for a moment, the thoughtless comment from one of her old classmates passing through her mind. One of many she'd heard over the years. Some were not thoughtless... they were purposeful. She clapped her palms against her cheeks.

"None of that, I'm visiting a friend." she told herself firmly. "No negativity." she clenched her fists and nodded. She returned to cleaning with focus, eyes on the goal. She moved from soap to shampoo realizing shortly after starting that she needed more. "It's getting long again huh." she noted repressing a sigh, it was hard to keep track when you couldn't see it even when it was in your face, "I should probably cut it later. It can wait until after the hangout..." glancing over to the rack of products her mom used... since she was letting it be might as well treat herself. She put a bit of extra effort and product. Even if she couldn't see the results it felt nice.

The shower idly dripped as she stepped out drying off as best she can. Taking an extra fresh towel she wrapped it around her middle. She did the same with a smaller one around her damp hair. She was just about to leave but paused at the steamy mirror. She reached forward and placed her finger on the glass with a few quick strokes she drew a goofy face right were her face should logically be. She lined herself up just right and gave the mirror a peace sign before giggling at the absurd display. That was a little better.

She bounced into the room and went about picking out an outfit. "Something cute, but covering." she hmmed lightly... Though Tooru had grown more comfortable wearing less and less as part of her quirk training she wasn't dense to the confusion it could cause to new faces. The less she wore the harder it was to communicate properly, exaggerated body movements replaced subtler facial expressions. If you weren't even wearing a shirt with sleeves... well. It complicated things. So for the chance at turning her news acquaintance into a real friend she'd make the compromises. A light long sleeved shirt, a cute skirt with some thing leggings to wear under it. "Gloves?" There was something of serious consideration. Her hands were the easiest way to express herself it could even let her swap to a t-shirt. she opened the small drawer next to her underwear eyeing the many different kinds... her mom made her wear them for anything formal or on the rare times they went out. It made them feel impersonal, not the kind of thing for just hanging out. Her dad wore them all the time for work and such but well. He was never the touchy feely type.

"I'm really over thinking this," she bopped herself lightly on the head and plucked out a nice pair of black gloves and tossed them to the pile, replacing her long sleeve shirt with a more comfortable T as she promised. "Better." she nodded satisfied and went back to gather the rest of her sleepover necessities. Other outfits, underwear, night shirt, a small plush and other odds and ends.

Preparations continued, blow-drying her hair, getting dressed packing the essentials away in her gym bag. The only thing giving her pause sat on the self... of all the series she collected what to bring?

"Hmm," she looked over her collection closely... almost all of the shows were missing episodes or patch-worked together from several sources of varying quality. Such was the case with all Pre-Quirk media. "Considering her uniform, it would best be to start with the classic." she plucked the worn case with a crescent moon on it from the shelf and put it aside. The darker stuff really wasn't best to start with so something lighter her hand lingered over the faded reddish book style case but her eyes trailed over one of the most worn cases on the whole shelf. "But who doesn't like giant lasers." she giggled and grabbed the pink and white case instead. Packing the two collections inside carefully along with her prized portable retroplayer. She clapped her gloved hands together and smiled wide. "Okay, let's go!~" she swung the bag onto her shoulder and nearly toppled herself misjudging the weight. she laughed nervously. "Glad no one was here to see that." she readjusted the strap until it was more comfortable and headed out.

* * *

The train ride was pretty usual, ignore the odd looks that got passed her way in favor of listening to some music on her phone, the ear buds bopping in the air with the beat. It was all she could do to focus her excitement. She was going out to hang with a potential friend and get away from that quiet apartment... but more then that this would be her chance to finally put it all to rest. This would be the chance to find out if Izumi Midoriya was a REAL magical girl. On face value it sounded like a flight of fancy, but there were just too many little things that added up. If she was... if it could be done.

She was TOTALLY getting in on it.

Well unless it was one of those Faustian power bargains that you paid for with your soul for... then she'd have to think about it a little. The uniform was really cute after all.

The station rang out along the intercom. Just a few more stops. she switched over to her messenger program and let Izumi know how close she was, her gloved fingers much more conducive to texting. She received a quick reply with an affirmative and placed her phone back in her bag along with her ear buds, she really needed to be paying attention from here on. She glanced out the window as the city of Musutafu rolled along past. In the distance the taller buildings of UA could be seen. she touched the glass grasping the campus in her gloved hand. She had no idea how her written test went, she'd studied more than she ever had for any test in her academic life but she was dubious it guaranteed a passing grade... even the Practical was stacked against her but she didn't lose hope. There was no room to doubt it, she had staked it all on UA . There had to be something more to being a hero then answering math questions and beating up robots... she just had to put faith in her heroic qualities would fill in those gaps.

As she mused the campus grew further into the distance, she watched it for as long as she could.

'Seaside. Seaside station'

"That's the one." she shouldered her bag and moved toward the door as the train slowed to a stop. slipping out alongside the crowd of commuters, she searched around for green. She wasn't disappointed, over by the main door was her friend. Izumi looked pensive, scanning the people leaving the train. She wore a much longer skirt then her own alongside an All Might branded hair was just long enough to pull back into a ponytail which hung a bit off center behind her. Tooru was surprised how nervous she really was, it was not the first time she was glad her face wasn't visible. She took a deep breath to settle the butterflies and turned on the cheer. "Midori-chan!~" she called out causing her to perk up and look harder finally spotting her as she ran up.

"Hagakure-chan," she smiled that awkward yet genuine smile Tooru had seen so much that night after the exam. Suddenly her nerves weren't all that bad anymore. Her own smile wasn't visible so she waved energetically in response. "I hope the trek wasn't too bad."

"Nah, it's all good." she flashed a peace sign, "It just adds to the adventure for today." she said brightly eliciting a giggle from the other girl. "So we in for a long walk?"

"Not really, Just a little ways up the road."

"Sweet, this it is going to be great!~" Tooru somehow managed to bounce with that big night bag weighing her down. "I'm still surprised your mom was so cool with it all..."

"Well it's been a long time since I've had any friends over the house, I think she's just happy I met someone new." she blushed a little as she laughed. "Well I mean Kyochan's been over a lot but we usually hang out in town. There's usually not too much to do at my place..."

"Well I'm bringing the DO so don't worry about it." Tooru offer the girl a thumbs up.

"Right right..." Izumi focused her eyes forward, hands fidgeting a bit. "So why are you so determined to get me to watch these magical girl things?"

"They're fun for one." Tooru replied first off with no hesitation. "Some of the Pre-quirk hero stories are pretty hokey in a world like we have today... but it's kind of fun to just let yourself be sucked in and go along with it." her chipper tone mellowed out into something more calm and casual. "My quirk's not really flashy or immediately useful in most circumstances, so I can still appreciate the escapism. Gaining REAL powers to be able to help people." her gloved hand reached up to scratch her cheek.

"I think you have a really cool quirk Hagakure-chan." Izumi assured her. "I think you'll make a great hero." The transparent girl reflexively looked for the sarcasm or pity but only found genuine praise. Embarrassed and a little ashamed she turned and forced a laugh. Unsure how to respond to such earnestness she fell back on her standby, humor.

"If you say so Midori-chan... But when streaking is your superpower you have take what you can get." self-deprecation wasn't the best reflex, it didn't help much with the confidence issues of awkward teenagers but Tooru did her best to make it work. "I mean what if All Might had to strip in order to use his super strength." she went for the most absurd image she could think of making both girls laugh. Interestingly her companion was slowly growing redder as they walked, Tooru brought a gloved hand to her lips. Blood was in the water. "You still picturing All Might streaking aren't you.~"

"NO!, Yes!. I-I don't know you brought it up!" she groaned

"I'm surprised. I didn't think a little thing like you would be into the big musclely guys." she mused casually watcher her friend tick up to the next deeper shade of red.

"No! I-It's nothing like that!" she protested before sighing. "All Might is just, the best. You know? I couldn't think about him like that. That would be weird..." You could practically see the steam coming from her ears. Tooru decided to be gracious and let her off the hook... for now.

"I'm kidding," she through an invisible arm around the sputtering girl making her squeak. She really was adorable. "You're so cute when you get all blushy I couldn't help it."

"Hagakure-chan," Izumi whined softly.

"So you're a fan?"

"Er, you could say that." she said with a nervous giggle.

"Ahh... so you're a total fangirl." she noted bluntly getting her friend to groan and lower her head. Notable though she never denied the claim

"I'm back," Izumi announced as she entered and took off her shoes. Tooru followed suit, looking up to see short chubby woman peek around the corner. She smiled at the girls and the resemblance became obvious.

"Welcome back." she came fully into view, turning her attention on to Tooru and taking a moment to process the transparent girl's appearance. To her credit, much like her daughter, she barely lingered before offering a proper greeting. "So this is your friend?"

"Tooru Hagakure, at your service." she put her energy level at max and added a little salute for flare. The older woman laughed good-naturedly at the display.

"Well it's nice to meet you Hagakure-chan." she offered the invisible girl a smile and waved the girls off. "Well I won't get in your way. I'll be out in the living room if you girls need me for anything." The teens headed down the hall and after a moment of reluctance she opened the door to her room. Tooru's first inclination was to look for any off stuffed animal or pet to go along with her magical girl theory... but she was distracted but the sheer about of All Might. Posters, collectables, a carefully folded throw at the end of the bed.

"Wow... You really are-"

"A total fangirl." Izumi relented with a sigh.

"It's okay, Midori-chan, no worries." she did her best to bring the girls spirits back up. She looked back to the room filtering out the all might memorabilia. A couple of regular looking plushies, some training equipment in the corner next to a gym bag. "Hm? I never took you as one for sports."

"Well I've been on the Gymnastics team since I started middle school." Izumi admitted with a small smile. "The flexibility is a big help since reinforcement stiffens me up if I use it on myself.." Practice and hero-oriented, as expected. "and well, it's kinda fun too so that helps."

"That's cool." She placed her bag on the ground and unzipped it. "I never got too much into school programs... I wanted to do drama."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've always had a flair for the dramatic." she noted proudly getting the other girl to laugh. "It's just well, I never made it past any of the auditions." she paused, glad her friend couldn't see the sad smile that snuck onto her face. "Let's just say, the subtleties of my performance never quite registered." she kept her voice snappy and sarcastic as she collected herself.

"I guess I can kinda understand... but it doesn't seem very fair."

"That's quirks for you..." Tooru forced a chuckle and Izumi frowned. Such a sweet girl. "Anyway let's talk fun stuff. " she pulled out her media player and proudly put it on the table.

"Wait, is that a retroplayer?"

"Yeah! I'm surprised most people I show this to have never seen one."

"My dad work uses one of these at work. He showed me an old pre-quirk movie on it once."

"Ooh Ooh what did you watch?!" she bounced excitedly.

"Just a really old monster movie, Had a guy in a rubber suit walking around destroying Tokyo... it was real corny but as a kid it was super cool." she smiled at the memory. "My dad would always joke that's how some of the old cities were wrecked."

"Ahh, sounds like a kaijuu flick." She placed a gloved hand on her transparent chin, nodding sagely. "Not really my jam, but they have a pretty dedicated archival community online." she went back to setting up the player, plugging the cords into the back of Izumi's monitor.

"Huh, are there a lot of communities into this kind of thing?"

"I mean it's underground, but it's thriving. I mean you don't see stuff like it much these days. After all most of the 'classics' have modern remakes so most people don't care about watching less polished originals or offshoots. My folks aren't really into this kinda stuff but they don't bother me about it long as I don't spend too much money..."

"Hmm," Izumi let the conversation drop looking instead to the two cases that came with the player. "so, what did you bring?"

"Two of my favorites!" getting the last cable is plugged in properly she rushed back over grabbing the one with the crescent moon. " but we're starting with Sailor Moon."

"Sailor Moon?" Izumi looked at her curiously but Tooru only rushed over to put the show in...

* * *

There wasn't anything like old animation... the process was lost to time and though some have tried to revive it the circumstances are different. Art related quirks and technological differences just can't quite replicate it. It may look dated but it feels timeless. Though she appreciated the style, her focus was solely on her companion... after all she'd watched the early episodes of sailor moon dozens of times, she practically knew the first season by heart! But for Izumi this was a new experience and her reactions were... enlightening.

They sat together on her bed, the retroplayer hooked up to Izumi's monitor. She kept her body aimed toward the screen bit was staring at Izumi the whole time, the advantages of a transparent body. She seemed to be enjoying the hokeyness but once Luna showed up she grew very intense alongside the first transformation... after the first episode she prodded her friend on her opinion.

"T-This certainly is imaginative." she said with a nervous giggle.

What's wrong midori-chan?~ Something look familiar?

"It really popularized the genre, a lot of later shows took cues from Sailor Moon... The elaborate transformation scenes, cute animal mascots, etc etc" Tooru said conversationally, holding herself back from interrogating the girl. More evidence was needed... otherwise she was going to come off like a crazy person. "You wanna keep watching?"

"Sure." and so they did, as the episodes went on her friend got more used the goofy aspects of the story...

 **Episode 2**

"What's with that guy in the tuxedo?"

"He gets explained later."

"No I mean he didn't even do anything!"

"Yeah well..."

 **Episode 4**

"Usagi isn't very... heroic."

"She gets better as the story goes, but yeah she can be a bit annoying."

"and really does Jadeite even try to hide?"

"It's usually explained as some kind of magic to hide his identity.. It's the same reason why her friends don't pick out who Sailor Moon is."

"I was wondering about that..."

 **Episode 8**

"So, you think I'm like Ami?"

"Yeah!"

"B-But I'm not a prodigy or anything!"

"But you are super smart and come up with plans and stuff."

"I-if you say so..."

"You're also adorable when you get all shy and awkward.~"

"Eh?!"

"Girls!" Midoriya's mother called from down the hall. "Dinner's ready,"

"Okay, we'll be right out!" Izumi called out. "wow, time flies..."

"I'm glad you're at least having fun with it." Tooru said in a chipper tone, to actually sit down and watch these shows with someone was refreshing. It put an extra skip in her step. In fact by the third episode she'd stopped monitoring Izumi directly and just enjoyed rewatching the show with a friend. The pleasant smells hit her before she even saw the food... it wasn't anything fancy but it looked delicious. Midoriya's mother met the pair with a kind smile motioning to the table.

"hm, you still have you gloves on?" she noted curiously.

"Oh, well yeah." Tooru suddenly felt very self conscious. "Well, I mean I was wearing them for your benefit..." she admitted offering a smile even though no one could see it. "I know a lot of people tend to get unnerved when I pick things up or touch them if they can't see it."

"You know you can take those off if you want?"

"Huh?" Tooru turned to Izumi taken aback.

"I don't mind, it's not like you can help being transparent."

"I-If you're sure." she looked between mother and daughter who only offered understanding smiles. She slowly took off her gloves and set them aside. Fidgeting with her now uncovered hands, despite the fact they couldn't be seen. Fortunately any awkwardness was remedied by dinner. "Mm!"

"I'm glad you like it?"

"Could you be my mom?" The transparent girl asked with a dead seriousness getting a chuckle out of the older woman.

"No cooks in the family."

"Pretty much yeah. Self included..." Tooru admitted. "We've never really been a 'sit together and have dinner' kinda family." she left it at that. "But this is seriously good." she added excitedly turning the topic away before it could be pressed. Topics became more generalized after that, the Transparent girl easily able to redirect the conversation to whatever she felt like, both Midoriyas' happy to go along with the flow. They really were two peas in a pod. After finishing she helped gather the dishes despite Inko's protests, it was only fair after all… As she was in the kitchen she heard the front door open.

"We're home!" An older male voice called out cheerfully.

"A successful, if trying meeting." another said, it held a refined air even as it sighed.

"Dad!"

"Oh, hello dear, I should have told you we have company." Inko said quickly sounding almost… nervous?

"Oh we do?" there was a moment of pause before he laughed. "Sorry Honey, hope I didn't disturb anything then." his tone remained joyful and relaxed… the other voice did not reply. Curious she started back out to the living room. Spotting a tall man in a slightly disheveled suit and pants, tie hanging loosely around his neck. His hair was a mess of curls that he had tried to tame but only half succeeded. On seeing her he offered a smile. "So this is our guest I take it?"

"Um yes sir."

"Than Welcome to our humble abode. Hope you and the kid here are having a good time." he said ruffling his daughter hair forcing her to swat the hand away.

"Daaad…" her pout only made the man laugh and the two teens departed back to the room. All the while Tooru couldn't help but wonder. Hadn't their been two people who came home?

* * *

The marathon continued late into the night, between episode banter continued with Tooru informing her newly indoctrinated friend on the commonalities and narrative tropes that followed, The team aspect that was forming making her friend unusually thoughtful. They decided to take a small break after episode 13 as it was something of a narrative climax with the defeat of Jaedite. The Banter shifted to more general topics while Tooru switched discs, and as it inevitably did with girls chatter the topic shifted to boys. Initially it had just been for the purpose of teasing her shy friend but it actually became more enlightening then she had expected.

"Never?"

"Um, no… sorry."

"I mean you don't have to apologize, I'm just a little surprised is all." Tooru scratched her cheek out of habit but now sans her gloves it wasn't even noticeable. "You're so jumpy about the topic so I guess I assumed…"

"I wasn't very popular as a kid…" Izumi admitted. "I got bullied a lot before I moved and met Kyochan. Things were better after that but I never really gave it much thought. I guess I got all tied up in training and studying." she trailed off looking down. She slowly looked back up. "Is that weird?"

"Nah, not really. I should have realized you were more serious sort Midori."

"Sorry…"

"Hey, I said there's nothing to apologize for. I'm sure when you meet the right person you'll know it." Tooru felt a swell of accomplishment when she saw a small smile sneak onto her friend's face.

"I hope so… um what about you Hakagure-san, er -chan." she let is slide this time, hopping back onto the bed and looking up to the ceiling.

"Well needless to say I can't put much stock in any boy who doesn't get to know me. Anyone who'd fall for an invisible girl at first sight is nothing I want to get involved with. Tried that, not trying it again."

"You've dated before?"

"Once or twice, nothing I'd want to remember." Tooru said with a huff. "I just want a guy you can see me for the real me, not the person they pretend to fill the clothes. Ya know." she sat up, getting a little heated before she trailed off. "It would help if he was hot too of course."

"Hakagure-chan isn't that a bit hypocritical?" despite trying to scold her she was repressing her laughter.

"Oh come on, a little eye candy never hurt anyone." The invisible girl gave a wide grin that her friend seemed to feel as she started laughing fully. Filing that under a victory she picked up the small remote. "Now enough of that, back to the show!" she said grandly before hitting play, starting the next batch of episodes, the two friends once again getting lost in the hokey yet earnest coming of age story of Usagi and her friends...

* * *

It was late in the night when Tooru awoke, blinking in the darkness. Her heavy eyes protested but her bladder insisted, with a sleepy grumble she got up from the futon on the floor and tried futility to ignore the invisible bangs tickling her nose and stumbled out to the hall and to the bathroom(after taking a moment to remember where it was.)

She returned to the room more awake from her short walk but resigned to laying back down as her friend was still sleeping soundly. From the dim light of the hallway, a twinkly caught her eye. The sliver of hallway light catching Izumi's bracelet at just the right angle. That small sliver of crystal, it felt important somehow. Without really thinking about it already walked over to the desk, hand hovering over the crystal. She really should ask first... but it's not as if she was going to steal it. After a moment of hesitation she picked it up. It felt warm in her palm opening it up she looked at the smooth green stone, well for the briefest moment it looked yellow but it was clearly green. That was probably just the poor lighting.

"What kind of crystal is this?" she mused softly, grabbing the bracelet by the band and letting the crystal dangle and twirl. It didn't look quite like any gem she'd seen before. She was hardly an expert but it just had a way of refracting light that just seemed.

Magical...

She closed her eyes imagining a transformation sequence. Swooping in to save the day, Cleansing a transformed monster back to normal citizens. Looking to her right to see a transformed Izumi who offered her a thumbs up... That sounded nice. She opened her eyes to see the sparkling gem.

"But ultimately a fantasy..." she said softly, unable to repress the sigh and she turned to put it back down on the desk.

"Perhaps..." Tooru froze. It was the refined male voice from earlier. She turned slowly to see a cat sitting in the doorway. it's tail flicked back and forth but was otherwise motionless. It's mouth moved and the male voice spoke once more. "But the Hope resonates with you. Hakagure Tooru." a chill rode down her back, her breath catching in her throat. Was… was this actually happening?

"No, this can't be. This is a dream. It has to be. Cats don't talk." she rationalized out loud, her voice wavering slightly. The Cat merely cocked his head and… smiled?

"And most girls are not transparent," he countered sounding bemused. "We live in a world with many wondrous things do we not?"

"V-Very funny brain, I know I'm dreaming. You can stop this now." she said weakly, her childish theories and a night of watching old anime had clearly gotten to her… that had to be it because the only other option was. Her gaze turned to her green haired friend shifting slightly in her sleep. Somehow despite having no visible cues the cat seemed to follow her gaze where he smiled.

"Yes, I was the one who awakened Izumi's true potential." he said candidly and for a moment her heart stopped. Validation for her childish wishes leaving the realist in her unable to form arguments… Magical girls were real. "Hm, I seem to have upset you. That was not my intention."

"W-What no I'm just…" she stumbled unable to get the proper words out so she flailed her invisible arms in front of her trying to dissuade him.

"But you are crying." he stated softly causing her to freeze up and slowly touch her cheek, feeling the wetness. She stared at the small animal who was looking her right in the eyes, with nothing but concern and curiosity.

"You… can see me?" she whispered, unable to summon any more that that simple question.

"It did take a true sight spell but yes I can." he replied with a chuckle

"Oh, Um… could you… stop. I'm not used to people being able to see me." she looked down, feeling very vulnerable.

"Of course, I apologize for intruding like that." he said and closed his eyes. When he opened them again the direct stare seemed to have disappeared. "There, I disabled the spell." She let out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"Thank you…Um"

"You can call me Aylward."

"Ah, um thank you, Aylward-san." Tooru let the foreign name roll off her tongue, trying to get a feel for it. she took a moment to collect herself before the reality of the situation hit her. She was speaking with a REAL magical familiar, she needed to get her head in the game. She clapped her hands hard against her cheeks trying to get her mind to refocus on the extraordinary circumstances in front of her. Noting the puzzled look on the cats face, it's ears twitching. She turned and bowed deeply. "Sorry, I was a bit taken aback. I'm sorry if I wasn't supposed to touch Midori's crystal..."

"No trouble at all." His soothing voice eased away some of the tension in her shoulders but she was still far too amped up to relax. "If the Hope had issue with your curiousity it would not of made contact with you." he explained hopping up on the foot of the bed, Izumi still asleep through all this somehow.

"Contact?"

"Indeed, the vision projected to you on your desires and wishes." he clarified patiently.

"Eh? You... um saw that?"

"I am connected to Hope as it's Keeper." his jovial reply added embarrassment to the swirling cocktail of emotions. He looked out to the window seemingly oblivious to this. "It was nostalgic, a guardian candidate whose only wish is to be a guardian." he said with a wistful smile. "Never thought I'd see such a thing so soon after coming to this world..."

"Was it different before? In your home?"

"Yes, Magical Guardian was a noble and well known position, used to battle against the evils of the world and beyond. Daughters of all stations would come to the academy to learn and train as Guardians. Some did it for duty to their family, personal Glory or betterment. As long as their heart was in the right place the Hope would not judge their motivation... But it had a special preference, those whose only goal was to become a guardian. The pure motivation instilled by the actions of the guardians that came before them." he turned his gaze toward Izumi. "Izumi is the first guardian of this world I would not have expected to see any such motivations until after her hero career had begun. and from what i could feel your inspiration came before even meeting Izumi... A curious phenomenon"

"Well," she trailed off turning her gaze to the ceiling. "There's more of us out there then you'd think." she said with a nervous chuckle getting him to cock his head. "But details aside for now... Are you saying I could really become a Guardian like Midori?" she pressed, tone hopeful. The Cat offered the girl a gentle smile.

"Aye, The Hope has responded to your wish and found you worthy. There is but one action you must take to become a Guardian Candidate."

"R-Really? I'll do it, anything!"

"Very well... Hakagure Tooru." His voice grew serious causing her to tense up. "You must... get your parents' permission." It took all of her willpower not to topple over from anti-climax

"You can't be serious!" she barely managed to restrain her shout to a whisper. The outburst left the cat with an adorably perplexed look on his face.

"Yes, I'm quite serious." he managed to compose himself quickly. "The Guardian Ascension process will alter your body to make it more suited for magic, We are still studying the effect the Hope has on people from your world. I made that mistake with Izumi and I promised not to make it again."

"Izumi was changed?" Tooru looked to her friend with concern. "...what happened to her?"

"It is not my place to say." The cat closed his eyes, showing that would be the end of that topic... "It is nothing overtly dangerous but should a change happen I would like your parents to be aware and prepared for it."

"I see…" she looked down feeling conflicted. Of course powers would come with consequences and responsibilities, she was prepared for that. The idea of either of her parents signing off on such 'a flight of fancy' seemed unlikely. Besides if she changed at all no one would even notice considering she was invisible.

"I am truly sorry if I have disappointed you." he offered a bow toward the girl, the odd sight and genuine action bringing a slight smile to the girl.

"It's fine, I should have realized there'd be some strings to it. I could think of a few options that could be way worse…" she chuckled briefly imagining a white cat-like creature in place of the back cat in front of her, offering her a contact instead of a bow… yes much worse. "We'll just have to see what my folks have to say about it." she shrugged, forcing it aside for now despite her own curiosity… There were other curiosities to focus on first. "So um, Aylward... since you were able to see me." her heart beat rose and she did her best to control herself. "What do I-" the words died in her mouth as she heard the blankets shuffle. In her peripheral vision she could see Izumi slowly sitting up, rubbing the sleep for her eyes. Izumi took in the pair at the edge of her bed and woke up like a snap, paling slightly.

"Aylward what are you do- er Tooru-san it's not what it looks like. I mean he is a cat but it's not anything l-like the show. I Jus-" she began to ramble, her bed head only making her look more frazzled.

"Calm yourself Izumi," that cat said patiently. "I am the one who approached her."

"Oh," The girl stopped, losing all steam. She turned her adorably puzzled look from cat to girl.

"Yup, seems I qualify for your guardian club." The invisible girl said with a note of pride.

"Really?!" confusion was replaced with excitement followed swiftly by concern. "Did the transformation go okay?"

"It hasn't happened yet." Aylward clarified

" _Apparently_ I need to get my parents permission first."

"That would probably be for the best."

"aww man, you're suppose to be on my side Midori." she whined before giving an exaggerated pout, turning away and crossing her arms.

"Oh, s-sorry I ju-" it took a moment for the girl to realize Tooru was just playing with her and she trailed off into a giggle.

"Is there perhaps someway we could make it up to you?" Aylward seemed willing to play along.

"Well since you insist, there is something I'd like to show you…" she said as she hopped off the bed and picked up the Retro-player.

There was truly something magical about an honest to god Magical Advisor witness the backbone of the genre… there was no way anyone on the archival forums would believe this. But depending on how things went she might become her own proof. One way or another, she was going to become a magical guardian. There was no way she was letting this opportunity pass her by. She Promised herself that. She just needed to find a good way to spin this when she came to ask her parents...

* * *

AN: This chapter was another one that had been started months ago. I think people who've been reading my other fics may notice I like Tooru and enjoy writing her... they would be right. In particular this version of Tooru has a completely different home life and quirk interpretation then how she is in my other fics. I decided to stick with my original belief in how i thought her powers worked as this part was already partially written and I like what I had thus far... it shouldn't be confusing for people I hope but thought id mention it. Tooru being a magical girl fan girl was my excuse to allow a bit of meta humor as Aylward's Pretty Guardians are very traditional magical girls... having it be pre-quirk media and thus very underground means I can have my cake of playing things straight but still poke some fun at things...

As to whether or not she'll be joining the magical team, the next update will cover that. it will be another shorter chapter focused on that topic before progressing the plot to UA. so hopefully you all enjoy that when it comes. It should go without saying I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!


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